New figures pin crime hot spots

2016 police stats show robberies still rare, but some locations are more risky

WATERLOO REGION — City hall calls downtown Victoria Park “a mix of timeless beauty and modern features” that provides “endless choice and opportunity to create your perfect day.”

It’s also where five robberies were reported to police in 2016, more than any other regional location according to newly-released call records.

“Victoria Park is unequivocally safe,” Kitchener Mayor Berry Vrbanovic said.

Vrbanovic cites people visiting the park by the thousands to walk dogs, propose marriage, attend summer festivals and enjoy Christmas lights.

“There are from time to time issues such as the ones you describe that happen throughout the city, and they’re unfortunate but that’s why we have a police department,” he said.

Robberies are rare at about five a week in this region.

“In most cases, these offences are blitz attacks causing significant stress, fear and

shock to the victim,” said Insp. Mike Haffner, of Waterloo Regional Police.

Police recently released dispatch records on 287,525 calls received in 2016. The Record mapped 227 calls in which someone reported a robbery and an officer was dispatched.

In Kitchener, be alert in Victoria Park, on the outer stretches of Victoria Street North, and near the Chandler Mowat community centre, near Ottawa Street South and Westmount Road.

These three hot spots account in total for 13 robberies reported to police in 2016.

Muggings in these locations are typically crimes of opportunity that occur in the evening or early morning, Haffner said.

As an example, in a January mugging near the Chandler Mowat community centre, a man out walking at 9:30 p.m. on a Tuesday was assaulted and robbed of his money by a group of four to seven men.

The victim sustained minor injuries and the suspects were last seen walking on Chandler Drive. Police arrived in less than

two minutes and spent almost five hours at the scene.

In an April robbery in Victoria Park, police were called to a disturbance around 3 p.m. on a Tuesday. Officers got there within five minutes to find a woman assaulting another woman.

The alleged attacker, 25, was arrested and charged with robbery, mischief and obstructing police.

Be alert when out between midnight and 2 a.m.

That’s when muggings peak, with 26 reported robberies over those hours.

As an example, just after midnight on a Monday in March, eight men confronted three men in Kingscourt Park in Waterloo.

Robbers took off with wallets, cellphones and other personal belongings, fleeing in two vehicles. Police arrived within eight minutes and stayed at the scene almost five hours.

Muggings peak in summer when people are outside.

Be alert in July, August and September when 55 muggings were reported.

As an example, on a Sunday in September, a man was knocked to the ground by four youths in hoodies while walking at 4:30 a.m. near Columbia Street West and Albert Street in Waterloo. Robbers took his belongings and fled. Police arrived 35 minutes later and stayed at the scene for an hour and a half.

In another September mugging, a 25-year-old man was robbed of his money and other items at 4:30 p.m. on a Wednesday while walking on Leacrest Court near Ottawa Street South in Kitchener. His assailant ran off. The victim was taken to hospital. Police responded in less than three minutes and spent almost eight hours at the scene.

Police offer this advice to help stay safe from muggers:

Tell someone where you’re going and your estimated time of arrival.

Walk in well-lit areas and with other people, if possible.

Don’t walk with earphones to ensure you are aware of your surroundings.

Robbery calls to police in 2016 include reports of 116 adults robbed, 53 merchants robbed (at places such as gas bars or corner stores), 30 youths robbed, 18 homes invaded, six banks robbed, and four other robberies. Go online at therecord.com to see robbery reports mapped by type across the region.

Dispatch data tells only part of the story. Not all calls to police are about real robberies. Not all robberies result in police action.

Waterloo Regional Police reported 278 robberies of people and businesses to Statistics Canada in 2016. Police solved 114 robberies and charged 134 people. Dispatch records therefore represent 82 per cent of actual crimes.

Crime records show you’re 22-per-cent less likely to be robbed here than elsewhere in Ontario, comparing by population. Sixty per cent of local robberies go unsolved. Police solve local robberies slightly less often than the average Ontario police force, based on the five-year clearance rate.

“Robbery investigations sometimes present a unique challenge to investigators,” Haffner said. Muggings tend to occur in isolated, darker areas. This makes it difficult for victims to describe attackers or directions. Victims can’t quickly reach police if cellphones are stolen, giving suspects time to flee.

Dispatch records from 2016 point to central Kitchener as a robbery hot spot.

Three of the top five patrol zones where police respond to robbery calls are in Kitchener’s central or downtown neighbourhoods.

These findings are consistent with research showing that residents in central areas of local cities call police three times more often than suburban residents, to report public disorder, violence, damage and theft.

City Hall has long battled public perceptions that Kitchener’s downtown is unsafe. “We see all types of crimes … throughout the city,” Vrbanovic said.

“To in any way suggest that somehow the downtown is somehow a hot spot for that, I don’t think is being fair to the downtown.”

These offences are blitz attacks causing significant stress, fear and shock. INSP. MIKE HAFFNER