Crime Prevention

By Des Ryan, a retired police officer, who is the volunteer safety and security lead on the CRA’s board of directors.

How many times have you accidentally tripped your house alarm? Too often to remember?

More often than not, false alarms are the result of user error. This results in having to dispatch two (yes, two!) officers to an address only to discover that all appears to be in order (as we like to say in policing circles!) each and every time.

This is an extremely costly process and consumes an enormous amount of deployable police hours: Toronto Police report that, in 2016, more than 97 per cent of alarm calls turned out to be false.

As a result, as of September 10^th, the Toronto Police Service has implemented a new policy. Going forward, Police will be responding to alarm calls under the following conditions:
– the Monitoring Station is registered with the TPS, complied with call-processing requirements and is not under any TPS suspensions; and,
– the Monitoring Station must also comply with the verified response requirement as applied to burglar alarm system signals.

Since these conditions have to do with your alarm company, be sure to contact them asap to ensure that they are doing their part.

Other criteria that determine whether your alarm will be responded to include what is called “acceptable verified response criteria.”. These include:

– Audio devices (i.e., alarm systems that transfer real-time audio to an actual person listening in on the alarm);
– Video device (same as above, only real-time video transfer);
– An eyewitness (i.e. private security or person at scene); or
– Multiple zone activations (i.e., an alarm system that separates and reports incidents or alarm signals by areas that are monitored by the Monitoring Station. Zone 1 – Front Door, Zone 2 –Front Entry Motion, Zone 3 –Kitchen Motion, etc.).

What this means is that, rather than chasing after alarms like a dog after a ball in the park, TPS will only be responding to alarms that are legitimately verifiable. Having so said, there is nothing saying that the aforementioned ball-chasing dog could not be frolicking in your home, setting off multiple zone alarms in your house.

Note to self: do not set zone alarm unless dog is out of house.

Then, be sure to do your part in reducing false alarms (and getting yourself suspended from police response!). This includes changing the batteries of your alarm. Frequently. Make sure the sensors are clear of cobwebs and other debris that can send a false reading. Make sure your keyholder information is up-dot-date and be sure to schedule regular maintenance on the alarm. Finally, make sure your family and anyone else who uses the system knows how it works.

If you have any further concerns, or you just really like to read policy, check this out.

As an aside, this does not affect police response to Panic Alarm.

Des Ryan is a CRA volunteer board director and retired police officer who leads our safety and security work.

It is the end of August. Already! Summer holidays are nearly over, and the roads will be packed again as people return to work and the kids return to school.

If you are a driver, you are likely already aware of the usual pre-school drill: watch for children, be mindful of school buses loading and unloading, keep your speeds down in school zones (Always, you say!).

A couple other things I’d like to highlight:
– Never pass other vehicles, change lanes, or make U-turns while driving in a school zone.
– Unless licensed to do so, never use handicap or emergency vehicle lanes or spaces to drop off or pick up children at school.

So how about the kids? Regardless of how old they are, going back to school can still cause a bit of anxiety. Even getting to school can be a big deal. As you know, the best way to keep your little one (more or less) calm is for you to be (more or less) calm, which means anticipating some of the obstacles they may encounter.

If you’re walking your child to school, leave enough time to arrive at school at least 10 minutes prior to start time. Expect delays (Squirrel!). No point being in a panic before the day even begins. And take the same route there and back every day. It’s easy for little ones to get confused and turned around (did I say Squirrel already?), and they need to know how to get home alone, even if you anticipate always dropping off/picking up.

Of course, you’ll be walking on sidewalks, using designated crosswalks and/or traffic-controlled intersections and street corners as part of your route. And nobody’s running across the street. Oh, and remind your charge not to pop onto the street between parked cars — nobody needs that.

If your child is now too old to be seen in public with you, encourage them to walk to school with their friends. Safety in numbers. Remind them not to talk to strangers or get into a vehicle with anyone, even if they know them (you don’t want to know those stats about offenders known to the victims, I’m sure), unless you have already agreed that this person is okay.

Pre-emptively give your child the language and a few moves that will help them if a stranger approaches them, regardless of their age. And make sure you child knows that they need to tell someone in authority (i.e. you, a teacher, or a caregiver) about the incident as soon as possible.

If your little one is going to ride a bike to school, do a couple of practice runs before school starts. Make sure they know how to get there (and back) safely, even if you intend on going with them every day. Of course, they will have a helmet that fits that they will wear the entire time that they are riding their bike (see previous post for helmet safety and Highway Traffic Act fines!). As well as being the law, stats suggest that, in the event of an accident (which could be as minor as falling over at the stop sign) wearing a helmet reduces the risk of head injury by as much as 85 per cent. Good enough for me!

Also, if your child is big enough to ride on the road, make sure they know the rules, stay on the right-hand side, and uses the appropriate hand signals (signals, not gestures). If your child is old enough to ride to school on their own, suggest that they ride with a buddy. It’s easier to see two or three bikes than one.

And now that we are on the road, what about those backpacks? I’ve seen ones that look like they weigh more than the kid! To prevent injury, backpacks should have wide straps, padding in the back and shoulders, and should not weigh more than 10 to 15 per cent of a child’s body weight. And, while it may seem obvious, place the heavier items in the backpack first. The closer the heavier stuff is to the child’s back, the less strain it will cause. And try to have your child use both backpack straps and distribute their stuff as evenly as they can. I know….

Last little reminder: Depending on your child’s age, get rid of the drawstrings on their jackets and hoodies. They don’t serve any real purpose and they can cause some problems.

And now that the kids are back in school, we can all have a moment to ourselves for a coffee, beginning to end!

Thanks to the residents who participated in the residents’ association safety and security questionnaire, which we had in the field in late 2017. The survey results were presented to the CRA Annual General Meeting held on June 8, 2018.

The area the Cabbagetown Residents’ Association represents – bounded by Gerrard to the north, Parliament to the west, St. James Cemetery to the north and the Don Valley to the east – covers around 2,000 households and 4,000 people.

Our questionnaire, which we promoted via our Cabbagetowner e-newsletter (627 subscribers), Facebook page (500+ followers) and Twitter account (1,900+ followers), drew 132 responses, of which 114 identified that they lived within the CRA boundaries. The numbers below are based on the responses from those 114 individuals.

Respondents were most concerned about personal safety: CRA’s past president Phil Frei, who has gone over all the survey responses in details, said he grouped together a variety of responses under the umbrella of personal safety, such as concerns about walking at night, muggers, and panhandlers on Parliament Street.

* Personal safety: 32 per cent
* Break-in/thefts: 28 per cent
* Violent crime/shootings: 13 per cent
* Other: 10 per cent (includes road safety issues with cars and bicycles)
* Drugs: eight per cent

The remaining 10 per cent said they had no/little concern, or left the question blank.

Of those who responded, 55 per cent said they had experienced a theft, or attempted theft or vandalism, at their home, 73 per cent said they had experienced a theft, or attempted theft or vandalism, of their car, and 59 per cent said they had experienced a theft, or attempted theft or vandalism, of their bicycle.

Des Ryan, a retired police officer and CRA board director who is the volunteer lead on safety and security issues for the CRA, points out that people who have experienced a theft would be more disposed to respond to a questionnaire on safety issues because they had heightened awareness due to that personal experience. He cautions against extrapolating the experience of 60 to 80 people into percentages for all Cabbagetowners and our households.

Nearly three-quarters of the respondents who had experienced a theft or other crime had reported it to police. About one third got a response from police, usually a follow-up on investigation. Why did the others not report to police? Among the responses:
* The police wouldn’t do anything
* It was my fault for leaving the door open / unlocked
* It’s not serious enough to report.

Des reminds everyone to report everything, no matter how small or insignificant it may seem, because the police allocate resources based on reporting: it was only when more people reported on vandalism to their cars parked on the streets this winter, for instance, that police understood there was a pattern and likely common perpetrators.

Des Ryan, a retired police officer, is a CRA board director and volunteer security lead.

Can you believe that it’s the end of June already? Wow.

I’d like to share a couple of important updates with you.

Like myself, many of you are likely wondering what happened at St. Martin’s Catholic School on May 29. There were numerous stories swirling about, but here is what actually happened as per the police report. Two individuals were involved in a robbery that day and a firearm was alleged to have been used. The investigation led to St. Martin’s, where two 18-year-old youths were arrested, along with a third youth. There was, thankfully, no gun. One of the young men arrested had a knife tucked into his waist that had been mistaken for a gun by one of the original callers.

I have been in communication with the unit commander of 51 Division regarding the gun violence we are experiencing in and near our neighbourhood.

Superintendent Tony Riviere advised that, as of June 8, there had been 17 reported incidents of shots being fired within 51 Division (Bloor/Yonge/Lake Ontario/Don River). Of those 17 incidents, none of them were within our catchment area specifically, but nine occurred within the area bordered by Gerrard/River/Shuter/Parliament (Regent Park). Of these incidents, some resulted in injury, while many did not. Our police division is joining with other downtown divisions to launch for Project Red Brick, which aims to combat gun violence and has already resulted in the arrest of eight individuals, four on June 12 and another four on June 15, for gun- and drug-related offences.

“There is definitely an increased level of gun violence as compared to last year,” Riviere told CBC News. “It’s of concern to us.”

On June 18, Councillor Lucy Troisi invited me to a meeting of a working group that included herself, Mayor John Tory, Councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam, and a small group of people from the city to discuss safety and security issues in and around Cabbagetown. Gun violence and police response was certainly at the top of the list, followed closely by issues such as shelter support and ongoing outreach for homeless individuals, park cleanliness, and all of the things that make us feel safe in our communities.

Service level adjustments are being recommended this week in some of the “‘hot spots” of what is known as Downtown East, which do not include Cabbagetown. It was made clear at the meeting, however, that whatever is (or is not) done directly impacts our use and enjoyment of the businesses, parks, and facilities in our neighbourhood.

This working group seems to be quite sincere in generating positive outcomes and I shall keep you posted as I am updated.

In the meantime, stay cool!