Residents in the Northwest part of Moncton have raised concerns over the safety of their neighbourhoods.
On social media, many have commented on break ins to homes or cars, and there have even been reports of vehicles stolen.
Ward 3 City Councillor Bryan Butler says he is confident the residents are safe, “The vast majority of kids that you see walking around at night are great kids. There’s about that five per cent that cause issues for everybody.”
He adds, residents should always be reporting crime, no matter how minor it seems, “I was a policeman for many years, and we’d go to a home where there was a report of a theft, and the homeowner would say their neighbours had been broken into last week, police can’t read minds. You have to call it in, no matter how small it is. Even if you came out one morning and someone has gone through your car, you should report that.”
He adds there are steps residents can take as well to deter criminals, “You have to make sure your doors are locked, make sure that your garage doors are closed. Don’t leave valuables in your vehicle. Criminals are like water, they take the least resistant path. They’re not going to break into a vehicle where they are afraid the alarm is going to go off. We jut have to do the three E’s. Enforcement, Engineering and Education.”
Butler says he talks to residents and there is some work being done to in an effort to create a neighbourhood watch similar to one created recently in Moncton’s west end.
“I try to keep an eye on the crime stats and the map that comes out of the Codiac Regional Policing Authority. As a former police officer, I look at it like this, if there are a few arrests in the neighbourhood, crime will go down. I suspect that this little spree will come to an end, but we much all remain vigilant,” Butler says.
