Awareness in action: “Keeping Ontario Safe Together" for Crime Prevention Week

Jill Campbell (right), who is trained under the Child Passenger Safety Association of Canada, was on hand to show Sarah Bewhey and son Kody the proper and safe way to install a car seat. The car seat clinic was part of Crime Prevention week and was held at the St. Marys Fire Hall on Monday, Nov. 4.

By Wendy Lamond

Ontario’s Crime Prevention Week took place from Nov. 3-9 and offered local police a great opportunity to share the collaborative efforts between police and the community as they work towards the common goal of preventing crime and keeping people safe.

There were lots of events organized by the Stratford Police Service between Stratford and St. Marys including a car-seat clinic, bike registry at Stratford District Secondary School, Coffee with a Cop in both towns, an open house community drop-in and an information booth at the Stratford Warriors game.

The province-wide campaign takes place in person and, in some cases, online to educate the community on crime-prevention initiatives.

Starting in 1970, Crime Prevention Week has always been observed the first full week of November as a collaboration between the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police, the Ontario Ministry of the Solicitor General and the police service across Ontario.

Const. Darren Fischer, community resource and media relations officer with Stratford Police Service, explained the importance of community engagement this week.

“If we don’t have that participation from the public, we really can’t do our jobs. We really can’t be everywhere at once, so we do need people to keep their eyes open, we do need people to engage positively with the community,” he said.

Keeping residents safe is a number-one priority for the local police service. Every year, they pass on a few tips on staying safe to area residents. They include:

• locking doors of homes, garages, sheds and vehicles;

• trusting one’s instincts – if something doesn’t feel right, it probably isn’t;

• becoming familiar with one’s surroundings;

• travelling in groups;

• increasing visibility at home with increased lighting;

• Parking in well-lit areas; and

• For parents, educating oneself on the technology their kids are using regularly.

These are just a few, but simple precautions that can reduce one’s personal risk and to help keep crime at bay.