Windsor police say downtown core is 'very safe' amid increased presence - Action News
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Windsor

Windsor police say downtown core is 'very safe' amid increased presence

Windsor police say the city's downtown core is 'very safe,' following theirincreased presence in the area, after another weekend of violent incidents.

Labour Day weekend saw two incidents, following random assaults weekend prior

A building with that says
Windsor police headquarters in downtown Windsor is seen in a file photo. Police increased presence in the downtown core after two stabbings on Sunday and three assaults over the past two weekends. (Mike Evans/CBC)

Windsor police say the city's downtown core is "very safe," following theirincreasedpresence in the area, after another weekend of violent incidents.

In a press release on Sunday, Windsor police saidtheyincreasedtheir presence in the downtown core Monday after two weekend assaults.The two incidents this weekend follow a pair ofrandom assaults the previous weekend in the downtown core that took place an hour apart.

On Tuesday, police had a clear message to the public:

"There have been some concerns, how safe the downtown is.I can assure you, the downtown is very safe," said acting deputy Chief Jason Crowley,in a news conference Tuesday.

Crowley did not elaborate on how long the increased police presence in the downtown core will last.

A police officer stands in front of a podium
Jason Crowley, acting deputy chief of Windsor police, says the downtown core is safe despite the incidents that have seen an increased police presence. (Jacob Barker/CBC)

The rash of recent violence had some people feeling uneasy about the crime in the downtown core.

WindsoriteZoran Konjicijhas lived in the downtown area for nearly 25 years. He says police officers alone cannot solve the issues he sees in the area.

"They're law enforcement, not social workers," he said. "They cannot be there to remedy something that's a long-term issue."

Konjicij said hesaw the aftermath of one of this past weekend's incidents.

"The next morning I was going to get coffee and I see the city workers washing the blood with the power washer," he said. "This is not anything anybody wants to see, right?"

Konjicij sayshe wants to see moreassistance from higher levels of government.

"The downtown core needs more resources," he said. "We're trying to elect people who will change things because clearly, the status quo is not working."

A man wearing a red shirt and sunglasses on his head
Zoran Konjicij has lived in downtown Windsor for almost 25 years. He says there is only so much police can do to curb violent street crime. (Jacob Barker/CBC)

Bob Cameron is the co-director ofthe Downtown Windsor Community Collaborative,a community development group aimed at improving the city's core. He says the recent increase in violent street crime is "unexplainable."

"We feel the sorrow of it because the victims involved are our neighbours. We care for them and we love them," he said.

Cameron also wants to support the suspects who are conducting the incidents.

"Those who are doing the work are our neighbours too," he said. "Our response is, 'How can we respond to this in a productive and constructive way?'"

A man wearing a blue and white chequered dress shirt standing in front of signs
Bob Cameron is the co-director of the Downtown Windsor Community Collaborative. He feels a lack of outreach during the COVID-19 pandemic and increased drug use is contributing to a rise in violent street crime in the downtown core. (Jacob Barker/CBC)

Cameron feels the biggest reasons why these incidents occurred is due to the lack of outreach during the COVID-19 pandemic and an increase in drug use.

"There's been some really positive responses that are coming out of it behind the scenes," he said.

"The safe consumption site, agencies working together, the health unit, the hospitals, the police, community development groups like ours saying, 'How do we deal with the structural problems?' There's no silver bullet to this. It's going to take a lot of hard work and people working together."

With files from Jacob Barker