On a steamy June 23, some heat tolerant members of our community had the opportunity to be briefed on Crime Prevention and Safety by members of our local Division 53 and the head of Neighbourhood Watch.
Constable Timothy Somers and Staff Sargeant Alexander Wallace provided an overview of our neighbourhood statistics as well as some guidance as to how to report concerns.
Some key takeaways:
- Ensure you Report Incidents – even if you think it’s minor it may be part of a trend or be linked to another similar incident
- Be Timely in your Reporting
- Make the Right Call – the alarming misuse of 911 was highlighted to us (the McDonalds opened late, something about avocados being spoiled and, in our neighbourhood, people calling to complain that their neighbour’s sprinkler is hitting their lawn) The correct contact points are:
- 911 for emergencies
- Police non-emergency line – 416-808-2222 – This important number is to be used to report crimes that are not currently happening or for situations where there is no immediate threat to life or safety; Reporting suspicious activity; ongoing crime activity – graffiti, suspected drug activity, etc..; Online reporting at tps.ca/report is also available.
- 311 to:
- Report Issues (eg, bylaw violations – noise, property issues, waste and litter issues, potholes, sidewalk damage, issues in parks, etc.);
- Request Services (eg – dead animal removal, picking up household hazard waste, tree pruning or plant, etc.);
- Access information about City services
- Track Service Requests
Note: 311 does not handle police matters. For traffic violations or other police-related issues, please contact the TPS directly.
Neighbourhood Watch
We also had a presentation by Didi Cameron of Neighbourhood Watch, who introduced the group to the Lawrence Park Neighbourhood Watch. It is a program that aims to help neighbours be safe, be aware and communicate together. The groups discuss neighbourhood security, local criminal incidents, suspected criminal activity, and crime prevention measures. The groups are small (50 – 130), private, NOT social media and usually the administrator of the group has met all their members. For more background information, see Neighbourhood Watch Online.
If you think this would be of interest to you and your neighbours, or send us an email and we will forward your contact details to Didi.