PICKERING TOWN HALL…best ever
CRIME PREVENTION
The recent Pickering Councillors’ Town Hall organized Councillors Brenner, Butt, and Pickles was one of the best ever: great attendance, valuable topic, outstanding presenters and a very current topic of interest to residents of the City.
The presentation: Crime and Crime Prevention
Constables Marta Flis and Joanne McCabe of the Durham Police Dept. gave a 1.5 hour presentation which every resident should have heard. Making notes in this presentation was di rigueur, essential because the information was so valuable.
The presentation was excellent covering numerous topics relating to Crime and Crime Prevention:
- Durham Police Dept website
- Importance of knowing your neighbours
- Home security
- Automobile security
- Vacation precautions
- Porch piracy
- CamSafe camera registry
- DRPS Drone program
The presentation was overhwhelming in the comprehensiveness of its content. Constables Flis and McCabe covered almost every topic relative to their topic.
Highlights of the presentation
More eyes, greater surveillance
The Durham Police Dept has a philosophy that broadens their efforts to improve the security and safety of their community. They extend their eyes in monitoring the community with their Drone program and participation in the CamSafe registry program.
Drone Program
The DRPS Drone program is the first of its kind in relation to ‘eyes on the community’ in all of Canada. The department uses drones to view large areas of the city where a report has been received regarding potentially criminal activity or an incident that needs observation and police attendance from the sky. The launched drone flies over the area of concern giving the department an initial overview of the area of concern and a bird’s eye view of incident area. The images are then communicated to ground units in the vicinity and who can attend the incident in a very short time. The drone program is a practical extension of the department’s eyes on the city, eyes on reported incidents that can receive attention and attendance by physical patrols very quickly.
CamSafe registry
Another ‘eyes on the City’ extension is the Canada wide Camera registry program. Residents with outdoor cameras of their homes and property are asked to register with the central registry. In response to reports of criminal incidents in the neighbourhood, the police can access camera (registered) in the neighbourhood to view what has been recorded thereby having more visual views of what has been happening there. The programs value increases as more home owners register and add camera to their properties.
Vacation Safety
The presenters underlined the fact that burglars and property criminals will avoid property where there is some person there. Make your home look like some one is home. Lights should be turned on, TV or radios playing at times. Curtains should be closed. Timers should be used to control the visual/audio devices that make your home look occupied.
Auto security
Automobiles should be locked at all times when not being used, even in the garage. Remote garage door openers removed from the vehicle(s), as well as any personal identification such as ownership or insurance information. Whenever out in public places, vehicles should be content free with all parcels and valuables stored in the trunk, out of sight.
Even seemingly innocuous things like car window decals were addressed as potential giveaways of important information for criminals looking to case potential targets.
To say the presentation was valuable would be a gross understatement. The DRPS should consider some kind of publication which would concentrate and provide a summary of their valuable information relating to Crime and Crime Prevention, perhaps note page checklists which could be recorded from the Internet for printing.
Important related links….
Durham Region Police Services: www.drps.ca
Durham Region Police Services: WestDivision@drps.ca
