When you “Make the Right Call” to the Ottawa Police Service (OPS) you are helping us to help build a safer community for everyone who lives here. By calling us or filing a report online, our police communicators will take your information and generate a report, assigning a number to the file. From there, it is given to the appropriate police officer for follow-up.
Your information can help us, help you. It doesn’t matter how big or small you think the incident is, by filing a report with as much detail as possible you can help us in our investigations and resolve your neighbourhood concerns. More importantly, you are assisting us which will help others, too. As an example, if your car is broken into and nothing is stolen, we still want to know about it. Our dedicated crime analysts use this reported data to identify trends and areas of the city seeing an increase in these types of crimes, which will be used by officers to tackle these problems in more effective ways.
If you have information about a crime but want to remain completely anonymous, you can call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or online at crimestopper.ca.
Let’s outline how you can “Make the Right Call”
When to call 911:
- For crimes in progress and life-threatening emergencies
- You witness a dangerous or impaired driver
- There is a vehicle collision with injuries
- Fire or medical emergency
When to call 613-236-1222, then listen to the prompts:
- Residential or commercial break and enter
- Missing person
- Suspicious activity or vehicle (drug trafficking in progress)
- Stolen vehicle
- Assault where no medical attention is required
- Animal abuse
- Vehicle collision where no injuries are reported
When to call and make a report with our Police Reporting Unit 613-236-1222, extension 7300:
- Any damage to house, yard, or vehicle (not in progress or caused by fire)
- Alcohol and drug use in public (for example, in city parks)
- Reporting to the police after the fact – an incident has occurred, but no one has remained on scene
- Disputes or harassment (for example, argument with neighbour, stalking, fear for non-immediate safety)
- Sexual assault reported, where there is no longer evidence
Our Police Reporting Unit (PRU) is pleased to take your call between 10 a.m. and 8:45 p.m., seven days a week. When the PRU is closed between the hours of 9 p.m. and 10 a.m., an automated attendant will provide you with options on how to redirect your call.
When to make a report using our online system at ottawapolice.ca/onlinereporting:
- Theft (excluding theft of passports or other citizenship documents)
- Lost Property (with a visible serial number or distinct marking such as a custom engraving)
- This does not include: cellphones, credit and debit cards; please phone your banking institution or cellphone company
- Mischief/Damage to Property
- Theft from Vehicle
- Traffic Complaints
- Drug Complaints (drug trafficking information)
- Fraud Complaints
- Hate-Motivated Incidents
- Add information to an existing report
If you have questions, you can email info@ottawapolice.ca .
