Crime concerns up for discussion
Theft, vandalism an issue in Port Colborne’s downtown
The owner of several properties on Clarence Street wants to rally the local business community before a public meeting on Monday night that will discuss the issue of vandalism and theft taking place in downtown Port Colborne.
Criminal behaviour is “nothing new” to the neighbourhood, but Fred Davies says the last few months have been some of the worst he’s seen in a long time.
“I’ve been threatened many times while trying to stop people from stealing,” he said in an interview Friday afternoon at Breakwall Brewery, which he opened about six months ago. A businessman in the area for 30 years, Davies said the amount of pilfering he witnesses on a nightly basis, especially from items left outside the Salvation Army, is on the rise. But the violence is also something that should be a major concern, something he experienced first-hand a couple of weeks ago when he was punched in the throat and chest after he confronted a man who did something “rather nasty” on the front patio of the brewery.
He hopes the meeting on Monday night, recently rescheduled to be included as part of the regular council meeting agenda at city hall, will allow other businesspeople in the downtown to paint a picture for the Niagara Regional Police that shows how serious the situation is, even though he admits in recent weeks there has been a police presence he “hasn’t seen in years” in the neighbourhood.
“I want to mobilize the community to become a little more proactive,” he said, encouraging the BIA to consider cameras other than ones installed by local merchants, which are often damaged by perps after dark.
“The boldness of some people is astonishing,” he said.
Residents interested in speaking at or submitting written comments for the 6:30 p.m. meeting are asked to contact the clerk’s office by noon on Monday at cityclerk@portcolborne.ca or call 905- 835-2900 ext. 126.