'High visibility' initiative launching at 920 Ouellette in Windsor

A high number of calls to the apartment complex at 920 Ouellete Ave. has led police to launch a 'high-visbility initiative' at the building.

While frequent calls are received, police say about 75 per cent of them are non-criminal — including well-being checks, ambulance requests and non-violent persons in crisis.

The goal of the initiative is to equip health and human services providers to appropriately respond to the non-criminal situations in the building, while freeing up police to respond to urgent calls across the city.

Later this week, the Windsor police Nurse Police Team, in partnership with Windsor Regional Hospital, and Crisis Response Team, in partnership with Hôtel-Dieu Grace Healthcare, will conduct a needs assessment in the building.

According to police, the project follows the launch of a similar initiative in Windsor’s Glengarry neighbourhood this past summer.

In the first two months of the Glengarry initiative, reports of violent crime and drug crime in the area dropped by 18.7% and 37.5% (respectively). Officers also partnered with Family Services Windsor-Essex and the Canadian Mental Health Association to establish a dedicated office space at the 333 Glengarry Ave. apartment complex.