York Regional Police continued its proud tradition of providing superior quality policing services and committed community outreach in 2004 through the hard work of more than 1,100 officers and 350 civilian staff members. Innovative programs and strategies, developed in partnership with the communities we serve, ensures the safety and security of our citizens and allows us to meet the needs of residents in our ever-changing environment.

BETTER CUSTOMER SERVICE
In 2004, York Regional Police proved itself to be an Ontario leader once again with the opening of the Community Resource Centre in the Town of Richmond Hill. The CRC is a multi-service facility which gives residents the opportunity to report incidents online and via telephone; to self-report property damage motor vehicle collisions, allowing front-line officers to engage in more proactive police patrols; and obtain volunteer screening services and clearance letters in the southern part of the Region. York Regional Police became the first police service in the province to offer incident reporting, via the Internet, of such crimes as theft or damage to property, harassing phone calls and lost or stolen property. In addition, the Diversity and Cultural

Resources Bureau was relocated to the CRC in 2004, allowing officers to build on the important partnerships with our diverse communities in Markham, Richmond Hill and Vaughan.

REFLECTING THE COMMUNITIES WE SERVE
Reflecting the face of our ever-changing community remains a top priority for York Regional Police. Building on recruiting successes in 2003, last year saw the hiring of 139 police officers who bring a wealth of life experience, education and community involvement to us including the linguistic skills of Cantonese, Mandarin, Gujarati, Urdu, Hindi, Tamil, Dutch, Korean, French and Sign Language among others. As a result of targeted recruiting in these communities, York Regional Police is proud to advise that diversity within the service has risen from 8.9% in 2003 to 12.3% in 2004.

GOOD CORPORATE CITIZENSHIP
York Regional Police remains committed to our community and we participate in many fundraising initiatives and other good works across York Region and beyond. Proceeds from our well-known holiday-season drives - the Toys for Tots campaign, the Quiet Food Drive and the Jump on the Wagon program - assisted more than 1,000 families and 22 charities in 2004. Initiatives organized and supported by our officers raised more than $12,000 for the Ontario Special Olympics. We support the Big Brothers and Big Sisters of York, the Juvenile Diabetes Association, participate in the Cops for Cancer head-shaving event and more than 200 police volunteers attend dozens of community events throughout the year.

York Regional Police moved beyond our own boundaries in 2004. The Toonies for Our Troops campaign raised money to send Tim Horton’s coffee to our troops in Afghanistan. The work of one of our newest young officers prompted the service to adopt an orphanage in Jamaica, and following the tsunami disaster in Southeast Asia in December, our members worked closely with the locally-based Canadian Foundation of Intercultural Friendship to raise $126,000 for victim relief.

PARTNERING WITH OUR COMMUNITY
Officers in each of our five district stations work closely with community organizations within their patrol areas. Officers and members of the community sit on local District Community Liaison Committees or Police Community Advisory Committees to address areas of concern within local neighbourhoods. The committees provide both police and residents an opportunity to share information, discuss problems and create tailor-made crime prevention programs.

•	York Regional Police moved beyond our own boundaries in 2004. The Toonies for Our Troops campaign raised money to send Tim Horton’s coffee to our troops in Afghanistan.
•	York Regional Police is the first police service in the province to offer incident reporting, via the Internet, of such crimes as theft or damage to property, harassing phone calls and lost or stolen property.
•	Members of the Diversity and Cultural Resources Bureau participated in 42 presentations and 79 community outreach initiatives, attended 39 special events and sat on 16 community-based committees.