London Road residents fed up with rising crime
By Dale Woodard on April 10, 2021.
LETHBRIDGE HERALDdwoodard@lethbridgeherald.com London Road residents are growing tired of the rampant crime in their neighbourhood.In a joint presentation to the City’s Community Safety Standing Policy Committee on Thursday, London Road Neighbourhood Association president Kate Connolly and executive member Ian MacLachlan broke down a list of criminal activity in the area over the past year and how it’s making residents feel unsafe in their own homes.
Connolly became the president of the London Road Neighbourhood Association last June.
“Before that time, while I was on the board, I received a lot of concerns from neighbourhood residents about the number of crimes in the area and the increase in crime over the past few years,” she said. “I sent a letter to the new Lethbridge Chief of Police and he asked for some comparative figures, one year over another, and he sent back the figures comparing the first 10 months of 2020 with the whole of 2019. Even with the two months of missing statistics it raised serious concerns.”
Connolly gleaned a long list from the London Road Community Facebook page of criminal activities, reports and complaints.
“All of these have happened in the last 12 months. The London Road Community Facebook Group is not directly connected with the London Road Neighbourhood Association or the board,” she said. “But it has 433 members, so it gives quite a good representation out of London Road total, which is estimated at 1,500 households.”
In the past, Connolly said the London Road Community Facebook page was a great resource for the community, at least 50 per cent of it helping find lost dogs or cats, asking for the best builders or landscapers or helping residents borrow things like gardening equipment, for example.
“It was neighbours reaching out to each other,” she said. “But over the last year in particular I find the vast majority of the posting appears to be reports of criminal activity and we know many people don’t even report crimes.”
Connolly said the year before her car was broken into twice in six months.
“One night about five cars, just in a one block area, had their windows smashed and items stolen. So there are definite concerns about this.”
Connolly read a quote from a roughly 40-year-old resident on her block, who is “fit and active” and has a young family.
“The influx of theft, vandalism and general nuisance over the past 12 to 24 months has been astronomical,” it said. “We actually had someone walk into our house when I was home a few months ago. I feel so unsafe and vulnerable in my own home and community and utterly helpless at the same time.”
Connolly also cited an example of an eldery, disabled woman who was robbed of her groceries from out of her car by a small group.
“I think those are two instances of just how frightening life has become for many of our residents, particularly in the 600 block between 6th Avenue and 7th Avenue,” she said. “We really feel like something needs to be done about it.”
Both Connolly and MacLachlan ran through a list of criminal activity over the past year.
MacLachlan referenced the graph to City Council that covered 2019 and the first 10 months of 2020, with the 2020 date increased by 20 per cent.
“The assumption is that the crime rate in November and December of 2020 was distributed as it was through the rest of the year,” he said. “There is a marked increase in the level of crime from 2019 to 2020. You can see drug complaints have gone up, suspicious person or vehicle has gone up quite significantly, theft from auto has gone up significantly as well as increases in domestic related calls, assaults and theft over and under $5,000.”
Intoxication and not arrested almost doubled as well as Mental Health Act and petty trespass, said MacLachlan.
“There have been some marked increases in criminal activity from 2019 to 2020. They seem to bear out what people observing in the London Road neighbourhood that criminal activity has been increasing in the past year.
“Our neighbourhoood has become an area of break-ins, thefts, damage to vehicles and illegal entries.
Connolly said the London Road Neighbourhood Association felt there were some “positive potential or partial solutions” to the rising crime rate in the London Road neighbourhood, including increased police patrols and more bike patrols.
“We also request the red shirt teams extend their beat into London Road. This is most needed in the 600 block, including London Road Park, 9th Avenue and Kinsmen Park,” she said, also pointing to providing greater services and housing for the homeless and the addicted population.
“I think if this were to happen there would be a very substantial decrease in some petty crime and some frightening crime that happens in our neighbourhood.”
Belinda Crowson noted the request for increased funding for homelessness is something council could look into, but suggested making their presentation to the police commission in regards to increased police patrols and seeing The Watch extended.
“They are the governing bodies over the police and they do have on their agenda a public part where you could come and make this presentation,” said Crowson. “The next meeting would be at the end of April. I think that’s the group that needs to hear this presentation.”
Connolly said they will do anything they can to help improve the crime statistics in the neighbourhood. Follow @DWoodardHerald on Twitter 4
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