North-end residents seek vigilance after vandalism
No crime – including vandalism – is too insignificant to report, police are reminding everyone after personal property in the city’s north end was recently spray-painted with graffiti.
“If you don’t call us, we don’t know it happened,” city police Staff Sgt. Marc Habgood said.
Officers would rather be called about a suspicious person who turns out to be a man going for a walk in his neighbourhood, for example, than not be called at all.
That’s a far more desirable outcome than a crime actually being committed where someone saw something, but did not report it to police, he pointed out.
A north-end resident, who did not want her name used over fear of possible retribution, went outside Tuesday to find her car had been spray-painted with three initials the night before.
Fortunately, someone was able to help her remove the paint using a special product she called a “graffiti remover.” It’s a good thing, she said a call to he insurance company revealed she would have had to pay a $500 deductible to get it fixed.
The brick walls at the back of Northminster United Church on Sunset Blvd. were also damaged. The culprit actually had to scale the roof to write the graffiti.
Reporting vandalism is key. It allows officers – who analyze crime patterns – to target certain areas of the city while they are on patrol, Habgood said.
For example, there have been more thefts from unlocked cars in the city’s west end of late. Officers, who were cognizant of that, arrested a man Wednesday that Habgood estimated has been charged more than 200 times in the past decade.
Victims of vandalism or vehicle entries, or break-ins, may get a visit from a scenes of crime officer who will take photographs or gather fingerprints at the scene that could provide critical evidence – such as matching different instances of graffiti.
“We will patch these things together,” Habgood said.
The north-end woman is encouraging residents to be on the lookout and to call Crime Stoppers if they see anything suspicious.
“Please help the police catch these vandals before more damage is done,” she wrote. “Be diligent and watchful. We need to come together as a community to put a stop to these hateful acts.”
To be vigilant, Habgood suggested residents communicate regularly with their neighbours and to limit the opportunities for thieves and vandals by only parking their vehicles in highly-visible areas, for example.
Installing motion lights is worth it, even if they are triggered by winds blowing leaves from trees and squirrels, he said. “You have to sacrifice a little bit.”
Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.