Introduction: The New Currency of Trust
Across Ontario, the conversation about policing is shifting from instinct and experience toward evidence and accountability.
This week, OAPSB is participating in Building Bridges at Blue, where police leaders, academics, and community partners are exploring how evidence based policing (EBP) is reshaping decision making across Canada.
At its core, evidence based policing means using research, evaluation, and measurable data to guide operational and policy choices. For police boards, it represents a new kind of governance challenge, one where oversight depends not only on values and policy, but also on the quality, interpretation, and transparency of data.
When boards understand the evidence behind police strategies, they can move from reacting to incidents toward guiding systemic improvement and building public trust.
1. Evidence Based Policing in Plain Language
Evidence based policing applies the same principle that drives science and medicine: test what works, analyze the results, and adjust accordingly.
Instead of relying on tradition or assumption, EBP examines which practices truly improve safety, fairness, and community confidence.
For boards, this means asking questions such as:
- What problem are we trying to solve, and how do we know it exists?
- What data shows whether a policy, initiative, or deployment model is working?
- How is success measured? By calls for service, community satisfaction, or reduced harm?
- Who reviews the evidence and validates its credibility?
Boards do not need to perform data analysis themselves, but they do need to govern its use. Oversight means ensuring that decisions are informed by facts, interpreted responsibly, and communicated transparently.
2. Why Data Literacy Is a Governance Skill
The Community Safety and Policing Act (CSPA) requires boards to guide, monitor, and evaluate how police services deliver community safety outcomes. That responsibility is difficult without some understanding of data, what it can show, what it can hide, and how it can mislead.
Three reasons data literacy matters in governance:
- Transparency. Data turns complex operational stories into measurable, shareable insight.
- Accountability. Boards can track progress against community priorities rather than anecdotal claims.
- Public confidence. Evidence builds trust. When boards communicate decisions supported by clear data, community perception improves.
Boards that can interpret performance dashboards or community safety metrics are less likely to get lost in operational detail and more likely to hold services accountable for results that matter.
3. Using GIS to See What the Numbers Mean
One of the most practical tools in evidence based policing is Geographic Information Systems (GIS), mapping technology that visualizes data by location.
Instead of long tables or spreadsheets, GIS reveals patterns and relationships. It shows where calls for service cluster, where prevention programs succeed, and where service gaps persist.
For police boards, GIS can:
- Highlight geographic or demographic inequities in service delivery.
- Track how community priorities change over time.
- Support transparent conversations with councils, communities, and the Inspectorate.
- Integrate policing data with social indicators such as housing, mental health, and mobility to support collaborative problem solving.
OAPSB will host a GIS Information Session on October 22 to help board members explore these tools in action.
This free virtual session will demonstrate how visual data can strengthen decision making and improve accountability reporting.
Join us October 22 → Register here
4. Practical Ways Boards Can Apply Evidence Based Governance
Boards can start small and build confidence over time. Here are ten practical ways to begin:
- Request context, not just numbers. Every dataset should come with a short explanation of what it measures and why it matters.
- Add data review to your meeting cycle. Dedicate one agenda slot each quarter to reviewing key trends and outcomes.
- Ask for year over year comparisons. One time reports show activity, not progress.
- Identify leading and lagging indicators. Leading indicators show early warning signs of problems. Lagging indicators show results of past actions. Boards need both.
- Use visual tools. Dashboards, charts, and GIS maps make data accessible and easier to interpret.
- Connect data to your local Community Safety and Well Being Plan. Ensure policing priorities align with municipal and community priorities.
- Ask how evidence informs budget requests. Understanding the data behind funding needs leads to better resource allocation and stronger advocacy.
- Encourage learning partnerships. Invite local colleges, universities, or researchers to share EBP findings with your board.
- Communicate findings publicly. Use data to explain successes, gaps, and ongoing improvement to your community.
- Evaluate your own governance performance. Review how well your board uses data in decision making and adjust your approach annually.
5. The Governance Questions That Matter Most
Boards do not have to be data experts to be effective. They simply need to ask informed, consistent questions such as:
- What does this data tell us about the community’s experience, not just police activity?
- What external factors could be influencing these results?
- How is this information being shared with the public?
- What follow up will occur as a result of this data?
- How does this evidence align with what the community says it needs?
When these questions become part of a board’s regular practice, data becomes a tool for governance rather than a barrier of complexity.
6. Building the Culture of Curiosity
Data governance is not a one time project. It is a mindset. Boards that foster curiosity, humility, and learning will adapt more quickly to change and lead more effectively.
A data informed culture includes:
- Willingness to admit what is not known.
- Commitment to follow up when evidence challenges assumptions.
- Respect for confidentiality and privacy.
- Collaboration with experts without surrendering accountability.
As one Ontario board chair recently said, “You do not need to know how to build the dashboard. You just need to know what questions it should answer.”
7. Looking Ahead
Evidence based policing will continue to evolve. New data sources, artificial intelligence, and mapping technologies are already influencing policing decisions across the province.
Boards that build data literacy now will be ready to oversee these developments responsibly.
OAPSB’s GIS Information Session on October 22 is an ideal next step. The session will showcase how mapping can inform community safety planning and oversight, and will highlight simple ways boards can integrate visual data into their work.
Closing Thought
Evidence based policing belongs as much in the boardroom as it does in the field.
Good governance asks not only “Are we doing things right?” but also “Are we doing the right things, and can we prove it?”
When boards use evidence to guide oversight, they help ensure that decisions are transparent, equitable, and grounded in fact. That is the real foundation of community trust.
Call to Action
Bring this topic to your next board meeting.
What data would help your board make better, more informed governance decisions?
And be sure to register for OAPSB’s GIS Information Session on October 22 to see how data visualization can support your board’s work.