Fear of crime decreasing in Waterloo Region, report suggests

The Waterloo Region Crime Prevention Council has published a report that saysresidents feel safer in their communities than they did in 2009.

That's from a report the organization is releasing Sept. 9called, "Fear of Crime inWaterloo Regionand Beyond:Crime Prevention and Social CapitalRe-Examined."

Researchers began looking at data in late 2013, including surveys and reports from Statistics Canada and the University of Waterloo. Two of the surveys were completed in 2013, onebetween October and November, the other between November and December.

'Our police calls for service were two or three times a day."- Laurie Strome, Sunnydaleresident

The two surveys were completed by 1,147 respondents, with between 86 and 91per cent of residents feel very safe or somewhat safe walking in their area after dark. A similar survey conducted in 2009 found that only 79 per cent of respondents reported feeling safe or very safe.

The survey also foundfear of crime is declining among participants, and social trust remains higher than provincial and national figures.

"It's mostly done through grassroots services ... street by street, neighbourhood by neighbourhood, having services decentralized," said Christiane Sadeler, executive director of the Waterloo Region Crime Prevention Council. "All of these things put together creates stronger, healthier neighbourhoods."

The report also suggests survey respondents favouran emphasis on crime prevention, with just under 60 per cent sayinggovernments should emphasize spending on crime preventionover law enforcement.

Sunnydale's turnaround

Sadeler cites theSunnydaleneighbourhood in Waterloo's north end as a prime example of a community that has rebounded.

"Our police calls for service were two or three times a day [in the 1990s]," said Laurie Strome, a resident and community activist who has lived in Sunnydale for 40 years. "You didn't go out after dark just to go to the corner store through the townhouses."

As a result, Strome and other residentsdecided to act.

"My mother and another resident would fill up a wagon with school supplies and go to the park," she said. "Sixtykids showed up out of the blue. There they were in the park, playing and doing crafts. It was absolutely wonderful."

The residents also got police, housing groups, schools and churches all working together, offering youth programming, summer camps and eventually, a community centre that was run out of a townhouse in the area's core.

Eventually, the police calls declined to a figure on par with the rest of the city, according to Strome.

She says Sunnydale'sturnaround was also a result of police getting to know people who live in the neighbourhood, instead of just patrolling and enforcing.

In fact, Sunnydale's community centre is celebrating its 15th anniversary and residents have invited their first community officer to join them.

"The changes that have happened have been implemented as a result of many service organizations as well as grassroots groups knowing we best serve people where they live and we best engage people where they live," said Sadeler.