Throughout November, police have been sending out a consistent message to the residents of Brandon: lock it up.
Using social media, the Brandon Police Service is combating property crime by reminding Brandonites to lock their doors, cars, sheds, etc. every night at 9 p.m.
“Brandon’s a smaller city, around 50,000 people, so we have a little bit of that small-town attitude in some areas,” Staff Sgt. Marc Alain told 680 CJOB Monday.
“Certainly there are people thinking it’s a little bit safer out here than maybe some other places. I think people know this stuff is happening, but they just need a little reminder.”
Alain said a member of the Brandon police saw a similar campaign in the U.S., which led to the local project.
“The main thing is, we’ve had an increase in some minor property crimes, vandalism at night, theft from vehicles, theft from sheds, bicycle theft from yards, stuff like that,” he said.
“Most of these are happening overnight. A lot of times, especially with vehicles in sheds or garages, they’re happening when the doors have been left unlocked.”
Brandon, like Winnipeg, has been dealing with issues related to increased meth use, which Alain said has likely contributed to the crime wave.
“We have seen some issues with the new drugs around, and certainly when we see that and have problems in those areas, property crimes go up.”
While the campaign is too new for the police service to accurately measure its success, Alain said the public response has been positive so far.
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