'Eyes on the street': New neighbourhood patrol heads out in Wolseley

A handful of people, some on bicycles, took to the streets on Wednesday to send a message that theft isn't toleratedin Winnipeg's Wolseley neighbourhood.

The city's latest neighbourhood patrol group started after people online were sharing stories about thefts in the usually quiet neighbourhood, said organizer Ken MacKinnon.

"We are all seeing a lot in our social media about the number of thefts that are occurring," he said.

"It's not just bikes it is barbecues, ladders, cars people are getting into. And we are just looking at ways to deal with that crime."

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MacKinnon and a friend recently went out to patrol on bikes and he said their presence going through the alleyways was a deterrent. That's when he decided it would be a good idea to build a volunteer base to go out on a more regular basis.

"[With] eyes on the street [we are] just sending the message to anyone coming into our neighbourhood that people are out looking," he said.

"You are not going to get away with it as easy as you used to. We just want to get people communicating with each other and just keeping an eye out for everyone."

For the first patrol, about seven volunteers met at an Aubrey Street park before making their way through the neighbourhood. MacKinnon said he hopes to see more people as word of the group spreads.

"This is a good starting point. Get a core group of volunteers and see where we can go from there," he said.

Last month, a new neighbourhood watch group made up of the city's Filipino community went on their first patrol after being inspired by the Bear Clan Patrol, a well-established patrol group rooted in the North End and inner city.

There is also a women's led neighbourhood watch group, the Mama Bear Clan, which patrols the area around North Point Douglas.

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