Windsor Police Service receives over $2 million to support community safety
WINDSOR POLICE NEWS RELEASE
Windsor Police Service receives over $2 million to support community safety
The Windsor Police Service is pleased to announce over $2 million in new funding through the Ontario Government’s Community Safety and Policing (CSP) Grant program. Three CSP grants totalling $2,275,770 will support ongoing community safety and well-being strategies. Moreover, this funding will further strengthen partnerships with local health and human services providers in the structuring and deployment of a modern, multi-disciplinary model of emergency response.
Grant 1: Problem-Oriented Policing Unit receives $1,142,800
The Windsor Police Service’s Problem-Oriented Policing (POP) Unit works with community stakeholders through crime suppression operations while also addressing the key drivers of crime and disorder. With a $1,142,800 investment from the Ontario Government, the POP Unit can continue working with residents, businesses, and partner agencies to provide meaningful service delivery that enhances public safety.
Established in 2018, the POP Unit provides proactive, targeted responses to community safety concerns, moving beyond traditional reactive policing methods. The Glengarry Neighbourhood initiative is a recent example where POP officers have maintained a sustained, active presence since August 2024. As a result, health and human services providers are now able to provide proactive care to Glengarry Neighbourhood residents, further improving community well-being and quality of life. This co-ordinated approach has delivered meaningful year-over-year improvements, including a 45% decrease in property crimes, 38% decrease in crimes against persons, and 14% decrease in total calls for service in the first year of operation.
In addition to the Glengarry Neighbourhood initiative, this grant will support data-driven responses to emerging crime trends, as well as focused enforcement and community engagement in other high-need locations.
Grant 2: Crisis Response Team receives $632,970
The Crisis Response Team (CRT) pairs crisis intervention (CIT) trained police officers with CIT-trained social workers from Hôtel-Dieu Grace Healthcare. This $632,970 grant will enable the existing CRT to continue providing informed, compassionate responses to individuals in crisis situations.
Mental health and addiction-related issues continue to be a significant challenge in Windsor; since 2020, these calls have increased by 71%. However, police are not the subject matter experts in these areas. By partnering with social workers, officers can deescalate potentially dangerous interactions with individuals in crisis and deliver effective, compassionate support by connecting them with community resources for continued support. This team diverts workload away from hospital emergency departments so that individuals who need urgent medical attention can access those services more quickly.
The CRT operates seven days a week from 7 a.m. to 1 a.m., providing overlap coverage during peak hours and reducing the number of calls to which patrol units must respond. In the first nine months of 2025, CRT units responded to 3,085 calls for service (a 26.9% increase from the same period in 2024). This benefits frontline police resources (by freeing them up to respond to other urgent calls), healthcare providers (through reduced emergency department visits), and most importantly, the individuals experiencing crisis situations.
Grant 3: Nurse Police Team receives $500,000
The Nurse Police Team (NPT) is a partnership with Windsor Regional Hospital that pairs frontline officers with nursing professionals to deliver proactive care to people struggling with substance use and mental health challenges. This $500,000 grant will enable the NPT to continue providing on-scene treatment to those in need.
Initially launched as a pilot project in May 2023, the NPT was expanded to run seven days a week the following year. Officers and nurses are on the road delivering critical care between 1 p.m. and 1 a.m. daily. In the first nine months of 2025 alone, the NPT handled 1,943 calls for service, distributed 80 doses of Naloxone, made 291 referrals to community resources, and diverted 436 potential visits from hospital emergency rooms.
The NPT program has attracted attention across North America, mainly due to its operational success. This half-million-dollar investment from the Ontario government will equip Windsor Police Service and Windsor Regional Hospital to cement this nascent program as a mainstay of the community’s emergency response model.
About the Community Safety and Policing (CSP) Grants
The Community Safety and Policing (CSP) Grant is part of the Ontario government’s more than $91 million investment to help protect families and communities across the province. Administered by the Ministry of the Solicitor General, the CSP Grant provides police services with the tools and resources they need to deploy frontline officers where and when they are needed most, and to support the delivery of public safety initiatives that address both local and provincial priorities.
For the 2025–26 grant cycle, funding will support 127 projects across Ontario — 88 addressing local priorities and 39 targeting provincial concerns, such as gun and gang violence, sexual violence and harassment, human trafficking, mental health and addictions, hate-motivated crime, housing and homelessness, and commercial or retail theft.
Quotes:
“Our community's safety is strengthened when dedicated police services and community partners work hand-in-hand to develop innovative strategies that address today’s complex challenges. The Government of Ontario is proud to support collaboration in action with the forward-thinking initiatives from Windsor Police Service, Hôtel-Dieu Grace Healthcare and Windsor Regional Hospital that help to foster safer, stronger, and healthier neighbourhoods for everyone.”
- Andrew Dowie, Member of Provincial Parliament for Windsor-Tecumseh
“Through the Homelessness and Housing Help Hub, the Human and Health Services portfolio, and our Strengthen the Core initiatives, the City of Windsor remains a proud partner in the important work being done by the Windsor Police Service, and partners at Windsor Regional Hospital, Hótel-Dieu Grace Healthcare, and all stakeholders to support vulnerable residents. This latest round of provincial support is vital to the success and impact of this work across the entire city. We thank the provincial government for continuing to invest in community safety and wellbeing when it matters most.”
- Drew Dilkens, Mayor, City of Windsor
“Modern societal challenges like mental health and addiction require a co-ordinated response from law enforcement and health and human services. With this investment from the Ontario Government, we will bolster critical programs that help address the root causes of crime and disorder, provide timely support to those in crisis, and strengthen the effectiveness of our emergency response ecosystem.”
- Jason Bellaire, Chief, Windsor Police Service
“On behalf of Hôtel-Dieu Grace Healthcare (HDGH), I would like to thank the Ontario Government for their $632,970 in funding through the Ontario Government’s Community Safety and Policing (CSP) Grant program. It is financial support such as this that allows HDGH and Windsor Police services through the Crisis Response Team to address mental health and addiction-related disorders, ultimately diverting clients away from the emergency rooms.“
- Bill Marra, President and CEO, Hôtel-Dieu Grace Healthcare
“Windsor Regional Hospital has been a proud partner of the Windsor Police Service since 2023 with the introduction of the Nurse Police Team, which has been an amazing success story highlighting the benefits to our community when organizations with a common goal develop strategies to address the needs of our population. It is exciting to receive funding to assist in supporting the NPT as well as the POP and CRT. These are very important services for our community and we look forward to continuing to advocate for these programs in partnership with WPS and HDGH.”
- Karen Riddell, President and CEO, Windsor Regional Hospital