Report Criminal Activity To The Police, Help Our Town

REPORTING CRIMINAL ACTIVITY AND CRIME TO POLICE WOULD BE HELPFUL

MANY REFUSE TO GET INVOLVED

     THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE OUT THERE, HAPPILY RESIDING IN OUR COMMUNITY, WHO COULD TAKE A BITE OUT OF CRIME BUT THEY OUTRIGHTLY AND ADAMANTLY REFUSE TO GET INVOLVED. THEY DON'T WANT TO MAKE TROUBLE OR BE SINGLED OUT AS A SNITCH. THERE ARE HOMEOWNERS WHO HAVE HAD THEIR CARS AND TRUCKS BROKEN INTO, AND OTHERWISE DAMAGED, WHO DECIDE TO SWALLOW THE LOSS, AND VOW INSTEAD TO LOCK THE DOOR OF THE VEHICLES FROM THAT POINT ON……UNTIL THE NEXT TIME THEY FORGET TO LOCK UP.

     AND THERE ARE BUSINESS OWNERS WHO WRITE-OFF SHOPLIFTING, AND SIMPLY REFUSE TO MAKE A CALL TO THE POLICE, TO LET THEM KNOW WHAT HAS HAPPENED, OR BEEN HAPPENING FOR SOME TIME. THERE ARE THOSE WHO HAVE CONCERNS ABOUT WHAT THEY BELIEVE TO BE CRIMINAL ACTIVITY, AND WHILE IT'S UNDERSTANDABLE TO BE RELUCTANT, TO STEP OUT ON THAT THIN BOUGH, OF SPECULATION, THERE ARE OCCASIONS WHEN A SIMPLE HUNCH, HAS STOPPED A MAJOR CRIME BEFORE IT COULD TAKE PLACE. MOST ARE CONCERNED ABOUT RETRIBUTION, AND WHAT MIGHT HAPPEN IF DRUG DEALERS GET WISE, ABOUT WHO PASSED ON A TIP TO THE POLICE. CRIMINALS TODAY COUNT ON YOU BEING INTIMIDATED. IT'S PART OF THEIR BUSINESS PLAN.

     THE PROBLEM FOR THE ONTARIO PROVINCIAL POLICE, IS THAT THEY DON'T HAVE A COMPLETE PROFILE OF THE CRIME THAT GOES ON IN THIS TOWN, BECAUSE MANY PEOPLE KEEP THESE EVENTS TO THEMSELVES. I'VE TALKED TO NUMEROUS PEOPLE WHO REFUSE TO CALL THE POLICE, EVEN THOUGH THEY'VE SUFFERED A MAJOR LOSS OF POSSESSIONS FROM THEIR CARS. "IT WON'T DO ANY GOOD," THEY SAY. "THEY NEVER CATCH THESE PEOPLE ANYWAY." OR, MY FAVORITE, "IF THEY DO CATCH THEM, I DON'T WANT TO GO TO COURT TO TESTIFY AGAINST THEM." SHOPKEEPERS WILL OFTEN REMARK THAT GOING TO COURT TAKES TIME AWAY FROM THEIR BUSINESS, OR THAT PROSECUTING THE THIEVES COULD MEAN SERIOUS RETALIATION AGAINST THEIR STORES. ARGUABLY, THEY HAVE A POINT. IT'S MORE THAN POSSIBLE, THAT CRONIES WITH THE PERPETRATORS WILL TRY TO SETTLE THE SCORE. ON THE OTHER HAND, WE CAN'T LET THE CRIMINAL ELEMENT TAKE OVER DODGE.

     THIS ATTITUDE, AND THE DESIRE TO SUCK-UP THE LOSSES, OR WRITE THEM OFF AS A COST OF DOING BUSINESS, MEANS THAT THE OPP DON'T GET THE DATA THEY NEED, TO GET AN INSIGHTFUL PROFILE ON WHERE THE CRIME IS OCCURRING, THE FREQUENCY, MATERIALS BEING STOLEN, AND HOW THE THIEVES OPERATE. THIS IS ALL IMPORTANT INFORMATION TO POSSESS, IN ORDER FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS TO KNOW WHAT THEY'RE UP AGAINST OUT THERE. WE'VE ALWAYS REPORTED THEFTS, AND WE'VE HAD TWO MAJOR ONES FROM OUR VEHICLE, AND SEVERAL FROM OUR MAIN STREET SHOP. IN ONE OVER-NIGHT RAID ON THE SHOP, A THIEF MANAGED TO ESCAPE WITH GUITARS AND SOUND EQUIPMENT, WORTH MANY THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS. WORKING TOGETHER WITH THE POLICE, WE WERE ABLE TO GET NINETY-EIGHT PERCENT OF THE STOLEN PROPERTY RETURNED. BUT IT TOOK A CO-OPERATIVE EFFORT. WE DID OUR PART, BY CONTACTING EVERY HOCK AND PAWN SHOP IN THIS REGION OF ONTARIO, AND SLIGHTLY BEYOND. THE OPP FOLLOWED UP ON ALL INFORMATION WE COULD GATHER, AND EVENTUALLY, WE FOUND THE RIGHT VIDEO FOOTAGE FROM THE PAWN SHOP OF CHOICE, THE THIEF SELECTED TO UNLOAD THE HOT MERCHANDISE. ANDREW AND ROBERT WERE ECSTATIC TO HAVE FOUND THE EQUIPMENT. A MAJOR LOSS LIKE THAT, ON A NEW BUSINESS, COULD HAVE PUT THEM IN SERIOUS PERIL. THERE HAVE BEEN OTHER THEFTS THAT WE COULDN'T RESOLVE AS EASILY OR EFFICIENTLY, BUT THIS PARTICULAR STORY DID HAVE A HAPPY ENDING……AND THE BOYS HAVE BEEN ABLE TO KEEP THEIR GRAVENHURST BUSINESS UP AND RUNNING. AND THEY'VE MAINTAINED A GOOD RELATIONSHIP WITH THE OPP, EVER SINCE……AND THEY WILL TELL YOU, THAT IT IS A GOOD AND SOLID NETWORKING TO PREVENT CRIME. OCCASIONALLY THEY DO GET FOLKS TRYING TO SELL THEM STOLEN INSTRUMENTS, AND THIS IS RESOLVED QUICKLY, AND INSTRUMENTS ARE RETURNED TO THEIR RIGHTFUL OWNERS. THE FREQUENCY HAS INCREASED OVER THE PAST TWO YEARS, AND DESPERATION FEEDS CRIMINAL AMBITIONS.

     THERE ARE TOO MANY CITIZENS IN OUR COMMUNITY, WHO REFUSE TO GET INVOLVED, IN CRIME BUSTING. THEY WILL COMPLAIN TO NO END, ABOUT THE LACK OF POLICING THAT APPARENTLY CONTRIBUTES TO THESE BREAK-INS AND GENERAL THEFT, BUT THEY WON'T TAKE ANY PROACTIVE MEASURES TO STOP THE ESCALATION OF CRIME IN THEIR NEIGHBORHOODS. IF WE BANDED TOGETHER, AS WITH THE FORMER "NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH" PROGRAMS, WE COULD CERTAINLY LET THIEVES KNOW, WE INTEND TO PROTECT OUR ASSETS…..AND WORK HAND IN HAND WITH THE OPP……TO CHANGE THE COURSE OF HISTORY FOR THE BETTER.

WE DON'T LIKE TO ADMIT WE HAVE A PROBLEM IN THIS TOWN WITH CRIME, DRUG USE AND UNDERAGED DRINKING

     As we often are out late at night, driving between entertainment venues, where our sons work, as sound technicians, you get to see some of the ugly moments most only read about. We've seen so many impaired teenagers out there, and watched donnybrooks right in plain view, between those who have had a lot to drink, and those who have had an enormous amount to drink. We had our front window of the store smashed out by several intoxicated young lads, who wanted to see what a shattered window would look like, in the middle of the night. We've know people who saw it happen, and ran the other way, thinking they might get blamed for it. For most of the night, our inventory was exposed to whoever wanted to risk putting their arm through the openings between shards of glass still clinging to the frame. Neighbors heard the smash, and we know they suspected it was our window that was broken, and yet they did nothing. It wasn't until the next morning, that another tenant of our building, phoned to let us know our store was open to the elements. It was pretty disheartening, and yes we did wonder all that day, whether we had made the right decision to locate our shop in Gravenhurst. What made us most concerned, was that so many knew about it before we did, but wouldn't phone either the OPP or us. They left it to someone else to look after, and if it hadn't been for another tenant, we might have gone most of that Sunday the same way……grab what you can……smorgasbord style.

     There are drug deals taking place all over our town, and it's been happening for a long, long time. The problem is that the OPP don't see everything that goes on in our town…….and if we want to control this brisk trade, and keep our town safe and law abiding, it is necessary to, at the very least, phone in a tip…….to reveal what you saw, or think you witnessed. Maybe it goes nowhere. On the other hand, potentially it can be used to map out and prepare a strategy for an eventual drug raid. And where there is a brisk drug trade, and budding addicts as a result, so goes break and enters, petty theft, and physical assaults. We've had customers arrive at the store, so stoned and intoxicated, we've had to usher them right back out……with a warning not to return. We advise police if we are concerned the item they intended to sell may be stolen property. As the OPP helped us in a time of crisis, we feel it is incumbent to work with them, to stamp out this undesirable criminal core.

     We had a resident in our neighborhood a few years back, who was not only using drugs, and buying them locally, but was drinking and driving absolutely hammered. He was a menace on the road, and he simply didn't care about threats, of phoning the police. I stood in the middle of the road one night, to get him to slow down, and he sped up. He wasn't a very bright fellow, and after giving us all the middle finger, over about three weeks of residency, we waited for the night he left "pissed to the gills," and knowing he always returned home shortly after he left (for his nightly drug pick-up), the OPP were called by his neighbors, and all they had to do was await his return trip. With priors, he was no longer a resident of our street. He needed treatment, but it was jail as a first step. The citizens of the neighborhood took action, to co-operate with the police, and our road safety was conserved.

     I'm not sure what Gravenhurst councillors know about the crime situation in this town…..it's true measure, and how the drug trade is affecting our youngsters. I think it's something worth their time, to companion research with the OPP, especially appreciating the spin-off violence and crime that comes from drug addiction. I'm sure there are a few who don't believe the problem is all that serious. These folks need to wake up and smell the proverbial coffee. There are mini gangs operating in town, and they have a hand in questionable activity, and certainly violence inflicted on those who cross them. There are many social problems interconnecting here, and they are not getting any better. Alcohol abuse in town is substantial, and it leads to drinking and driving, vandalism, petty crime and domestic violence. We see a sunny, historic little town, during the day, but we don't always view what is going on in the bewitching hours……..but the OPP do. Big city crime is in our fine Muskoka town, and we aren't going to have any choice, but to either live with the consequences, or fight back, by helping the police do their job effectively.

     Is Gravenhurst worse-off than Bracebridge, Huntsville, Parry Sound or Orillia, based on population? That's a question Gravenhurst Council might ask of the OPP some time, to see if this blogger knows his stuff, or is just another "sky is falling" kind of guy. We do need to know the crime breakdown. The public should have this information. Maybe it would stir a few more stalwart homeowners to get involved, and re-establish the foundation of Neighborhood Watch, to protect our community from the criminal element. It doesn't mean you contact the OPP every time someone you don't know, knocks on your door…..or just because you see a stranger in your neighborhood. But when you see someone in your neighbor's car, who apparently arrived there by bicycle….I think then it's worth a call. We spotted a thief in our neighbor's car in the wee hours, and we contacted the police immediately. Guess what? Just missed him / her by seconds. But we know how they carried out their house to house visits, which began with an early evening scouting mission, to see what was available. These folks are still operating on our streets. Time to take that big bite out of crime. Please help the OPP help us.

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