Community Safety

Officer Howard Clements of 32 Division gave the following tips at the YMVA Safety Event on May 2, 2017 to help prevent crime in our neighbourhood:

1. Being in communication with our neighbours is a very effective means of decreasing crime.
2. Tell others when you will be away and when you expect to return.
3. Most break ins occur during the day. The potential thief will knock at the door, and if there is no   answer, break in. There are now apps (such as “The Ring”)that allow you to respond to your doorbell via your cellphone, so it appears as if you are at home.
4. Another option is “D Bell”, which alerts your cell phone when someone rings the doorbell, and allows you to take a photo of the person at the door.
5. The best thing to do is get an alarm system – and make sure it is activated.
6. Keep valuables in a safety deposit box or a safe bolted into the wall or floor.
7. Put your car keys away – do not leave them in plain sight.
8. Lock your doors, including the interior door from the garage
9. Change the code on your garage door opener, as these are usually fairly standard, and someone else’s opener may work on your door.
10. If you note any suspicious activity, or are concerned, call the police who will come out to investigate and provide a visible deterrent to crime. The non-emergency police phone number is 416-808-2222. You can also report online at torontopolice.on.ca/citizencrimereporting

It is important for us all to be alert and to be aware of who is working on our neighbours’ property, and who is away on holiday. As a community, our vigilance and communication with each other is a key to preventing crime. Please be safe and let us know if you have experienced an issue, regardless of the success of the criminal.

All safety and crime concerns can be sent to Ann Fitzhenry Bedard at afbedard@rogers.com