More than 50 concerned neighbours gathered on 6 Avenue N. in Lethbridge on Monday night, all fed up with continued criminal activity in the area.
A meeting organized by residents of the north Lethbridge community was less about complaining and more about planning, as they spent close to an hour brainstorming how to keep the area safe.
“This area has always been a high crime rate area,” said Sabrina Hacker, who has lived in the area for most of her life. “Now that I have kids, I’m concerned about them and we wanted to do something.”
According to Hacker, petty crime such as theft and break-ins have been all too common on her street.
The final straw, Hacker said, was an incident on the evening of Thursday, July 19 when a woman was allegedly attacked in an alley along 6 Avenue N.
“It was pointed out that we had a sexual assault in this area,” said Hacker. “That was maybe the breaking point.”
“People said, ‘Okay, police can’t be everywhere — we can’t rely on them to be everywhere — what can we do as a community?”
The result was community members standing up and doing something, whether it be patrolling the streets together, taking pictures and videos of strangers in yards, or posting signs in the area.
“People went around and they placed cards on windows saying, ‘You know what, if you’re concerned, let’s meet, let’s talk, let’s look at solutions.'”
The gathering also drew Councillor Blaine Hyggen, who earlier in the day heard a presentation by Lethbridge police at city council.
The Lethbridge Police Service said following the meeting that they urge citizens never to hesitate to contact them if they notice suspicious activity.
“Tips are always important,” Sgt. Robin Klassen said. “You can call the complaints line… 328-4444 — and provide your information there. Crime Stoppers is also very important, to report there if you want to stay anonymous. When you call the complaints line, we want to get your name, we want to be able to contact you and get information from you.”
The officers at Monday’s council meeting said they understand the public’s frustration when police action isn’t immediately seen, but they appreciate each piece of information that they receive from citizens.
Acting Insp. Pete Christos said police encourage people to register any surveillance cameras they may have with them.
“I think it’s a great tool that we use often, and it’s not just for drug offences,” he said. “It could be property-related offences, which typically work side-by-side.”
A few in Monday’s meeting told the group that they had just registered cameras with LPS, and they encouraged their neigbours to do the same.
For now, the neighbourhood will continue to be vigilant and stick together.