Vandals target River Heights car windows again

A neighbourhood watch group is raising the alarm about a potential spike in vandalism in Winnipeg's River Heights.

"As somebody who grew up in River Heights it's really starting to get to me," said Jon Waldman, a spokesperson for the group Smashed Window Club River Heights. "It's irritating."

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Windows were smashed on six to 15 vehicles along Cordova Street north of Corydon Avenue on Thursday.

Police said they noted six cars with broken windows, but a member of Smashed Window Club River Heights reported seeing 15.

Vandalism in the area has dropped since 2015, when there was wave after wave of damage to cars and other property, Waldman said. His group covers River Heights, Crescentwood and Tuxedo.

About two weeks ago, properties along Grosvenor Avenue were tagged with graffiti, and in recent days, along with the damaged cars on Cordova, there have been reports of patio furniture and other backyard items being stolen from homes, he said.

Waldman wants city hall to increase police funding so more patrols can be sent out to monitor streets. "Ultimately it's the police that's going to get the most attention to ward off potential criminal activity," he said.

Residents in the area have heeded calls to install more lights and take valuable items out of their cars at night, he said.

"There's only so much that we can do," Waldman said. "There is just this heightened sense of this city is no longer ours."

Vandalism to cars normally picks up in the summer months simply because there aremore people walking around, tempted by a quick smash and grab, Manitoba Public Insurance says.

But the Crown corporation is concerned about the recent rash of incidents, MPI spokesperson Brian Smiley said.

"It's certainly concerning for not only the vehicle owner," Smiley said. "As the auto insurer, it's certainly a concern for us."

This isn't something that we should just say is part of living in Winnipeg.- JonWaldman, Smashed Window Club River Heights

More than a year ago, the public insurer began covering all deductibles $200 or less on vandalism claims.The typical cost of vandalism to a car is about $1,800, MPI says.

Drivers do not face higher insurance costs if they file a vandalism claim and they can file an unlimited number of claims, Smiley said.

Waldman worries if petty vandalism is not controlled, crime in his neighbourhood will get progressively worse, and he refuses to believe random vandalism is just a fact of life in cities.

"This isn't something that we should just say is part of living in Winnipeg," he said."There really has to be a better push in this city to better protect its citizens."

Winnipeg police urgepeople to report vehicledamage. In the last 48 hours, only four drivers in River Heights have reported vandalism to their vehicles, and only one of the four was parked on Cordova.

Spokesperson Rob Carver saidifpeople do not report vandalism, police cannot allocate more patrols to the area.

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