'Extra set of eyes': Winnipeg neighbourhood looking at ways to curb crime
Residents in a south-Winnipeg neighbourhood are ready to take matters into their own hands following a rash of car break-ins late last week.
People living in Sage Creek say they are tired of crime in the area – the most recent happening last Friday when some people woke up to smashed car windows and their garages broken into.
Some neighbours are now calling for the formation of a community patrol group, which advocates say could help curb crime.
Tracey Alderson was one of the victims of the break-ins, having her e-bike stolen, and she thinks a watch group would be a good idea.
"I think it would be needed here," said Alderson. "I just wish the police has more resources to devote to something like this, because even so, it seems they don't get prosecuted if they're caught."
Detlef Hindemith, the program administrator for Manitoba Citizens on Patrol Program, said these kinds of watch groups can provide assistance to police.
"We are an extra set of eyes and ears for law enforcement," said Hindemith.
The Manitoba Citizens on Patrol Program has residents patrolling the streets in about 40 communities across the province, including four in Winnipeg.
"You are documenting details."
Leila Castro had a similar idea when she started 204 Neighbourhood Watch in the Maples seven years ago.
"So we try to be proactive by going out, being visible, by letting people know that, 'Hey, we are facing a problem here,'" said Castro.
The group has grown to have more than 100 people involved and Castro now helps other neighbourhoods get their own patrols on the streets.
"I do believe that if we help each other in the city, if we’re going to have the same thinking about keeping our neighbourhood safe, I believe we will have impact by doing that."
Alderson just hopes something will be done to prevent this in the future.
In the meantime, she has left a message on her garage door for any would-be thieves, saying, "Move along. Nothing to steal here. We gave already."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'Beautiful in its own way': New forest emerges in Jasper National Park, bringing protection and new opportunities
Charred stumps and the remains of fire-ravaged trees still cover large tracts of land on the Jasper landscape, but life is returning quickly down below.
Bloc Quebecois ready to extract gains for Quebec in exchange for supporting Liberals
The Bloc Québécois says its ready to wheel and deal with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's party for support during confidence votes now that the Liberal government's confidence and supply agreement with the NDP has ended.
Dog mauled to death in B.C. yard after 3 pit bulls jump fence: police
A 12-year-old collie was killed by three pit bulls in the B.C. Interior Sunday morning, according to authorities.
video ‘Not checking out yet’: Woman with incurable cancer vows to keep fighting
Heather Appleton just renewed her passport for another ten years. “I’m not checking out yet,” said Appleton, 61, who has the incurable cancer, Multiple Myeloma.
Trump threatens to jail adversaries in escalating rhetoric ahead of pivotal debate
With just days to go before his first and likely only debate against U.S. Vice-President Kamala Harris, former U.S. president Donald Trump posted a warning on his social media site threatening to jail those “involved in unscrupulous behavior” this election, which he said would be under intense scrutiny.
'It's morally wrong': A rural Alberta town reacts to homeless shelter closure
At the end of a side street in Slave Lake, Alta., Lynn Bowes looks at a grey job-site trailer with boarded-up windows and doors that once operated as her town's only homeless shelter.
Over 200 firearms seized in weapons investigation: Waterloo Regional Police
According to police, during a traffic stop in Waterloo, officers noticed firearms and ammunition inside the vehicle.
Military surplus store in Calgary, destination of celebrity shoppers, closing doors
Cher, Anthony Hopkins, Heath Ledger, Alec Baldwin and Tom Hardy are just a few of the celebrities John Cumming met while growing up in his family's military surplus store.
Slide over salsa: K-pop takes socialist Cuba by storm
Socialist Cuba, the birthplace of salsa and other rhythms that have conquered the world, is now surrendering to the invasion of South Korean pop music.