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Neighbourhood response teams are set to roll out in three high-crime areas next month in what Ottawa police hope is a pilot that will eventually lead to teams across the city.

Interim Chief Steve Bell said Monday at the police board meeting that the pilot is a “reinvestment” in the kind of neighbourhood-based policing that not only solves crime and social disorder issues but also builds relationships with the community.

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In 2017, police tried a new service delivery model. Before that, the force employed a district model of neighbourhood officers to deal with community-specific issues. Various areas of the city had groups of officers who patrolled the regions and addressed resident and community concerns.

But facing budget constraints, and in a bid to become more efficient, the service began a radical restructuring — which ended up dealing a major blow to its neighbourhood policing model. Neighbourhood officers were folded back into patrol and instead of being free to deal with the needs of the neighbourhood on any given day, they were expected to respond to 911 emergencies as they happened. The community was outraged. Gone were the relationships and the quick action of officers who knew all the players and knew how to solve issues.