Nearly two dozen people arrested in Centretown and Chinatown drug enforcement blitz

Ottawa Police made 23 arrests across Centretown and Chinatown in an enforcement operation that ran September 21 to 27, targeting drug activity and public order concerns in two of the city's most affected neighbourhoods.

The initiative, named Project Fall Out, deployed Community Outreach Response Engagement (CORE) officers and Central Neighbourhood Resource Team members who focused on Bank Street and Somerset Street. Arrests included charges under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act as well as assaulting police. Officers also issued one trespass notice and recovered one stolen bicycle.

The operation combined targeted enforcement with community-based policing. Police said they conducted positive interactions with residents throughout the week.

"Project Fall Out reflects the Ottawa Police Service's continued focus on combining targeted enforcement with community-based policing to address neighbourhood concerns, enhance public safety and strengthen relationships with the communities we serve," the police service said in a statement.

The blitz represents the latest phase of CORE strategy, which targets prolific offenders and geographic hot spots while prioritizing retail theft, drug activity, trespassing, and disorder. The strategy focuses on five neighbourhoods: Centretown, Chinatown, ByWard Market, Lowertown, and Sandy Hill.

An earlier enforcement operation in Centretown in early September resulted in 10 arrests and 27 criminal charges. That operation focused on Booth Street, Somerset Street, Bank Street, and Cooper Street. The source material does not specify how many of the 23 Project Fall Out arrests involved drug offences versus assault charges.