Archive for the 'Community Crime Prevention' Category
Connecting With Students
A friend introduced me to the principles of Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) a few years ago, and at that point it was an acronym I never thought I would be writing or talking about. The concept intrigued me, being a Bachelor of Arts student majoring in Psychology, we are taught to understand and accept the diversity of human behavior. CPTED highlights, to an extent, the malleability of behavior; it does not claim to fix dysfunctions, let’s leave that to the professionals. However, what CPTED does is capture the impact that minor changes in the environment can have on individual’s motivations to partake in socially undesirable behavior.
The subtle changes in individual motivations are what CPTED utilizes and it’s what makes it so valuable and adaptable. The socially acceptable norms about behavior change and what allows CPTED to stay connected is that it looks at what works; along side communities and other interest groups it establishes effective environmental changes that allow for positive interaction. This, unlike some research on human behavior, does not rely on research labs and allows for prompt changes.
The use of CPTED has a lot to offer and so does SeCure Consulting Solutions. I’ve been working as a volunteer student and have attended a course through the Calgary Police Service which focused on the main principles of CPTED and its’ application. Now a part-time project assistant, I feel I am part of something community focused and innovative.
Anna-Marie Cooke began working for SeCure Consulting Solutions as a student volunteer through Red Deer College and is currently a valued Project Assistant.
Say Hi and the Modern World
Spring has sprung and with all our good weather soon to arrive it’s a great opportunity to spread some good cheer. We are very fortunate to have author Frank Johnson, a regular guest writer for Smart on Crime in Waterloo Region contribute to our blog this month. Frank is a retired principal with the local Catholic School Board of Waterloo Region, a dad, and sometimes runner who possesses an irreverent sense of humour that periodically gets him in trouble. He lives in Waterloo, Ontario. Take it away Frank and thanks.
Each year, the Waterloo Region Crime Prevention Council, along with its many partner organizations, sets aside a day where the focus is to simply say “hi” to people with whom we interact. It’s a simple concept that builds on the notion that it’s harder to victimize or stigmatize another person when you see them as worthy of a greeting. Much like the ‘golden rule’, it asks us to acknowledge another’s humanity by simply saying hello to them with a genuine smile.
Several years ago, when gaining additional qualifications as a teacher, I came upon the work of William Purkey, known as the founder of Invitational Education. His theory is that if schools (and by extension any organization) treats people with trust, respect, intentionality, optimism and caring, then embeds these concepts in their policies and processes, we will see more engaged and happier students and staff. The “Say Hi” program is the kind of intentional program Purkey would support. Simply greeting people each day and offering them a positive interaction creates happier places. Happier places are safer places because each person feels more of an investment in creating and maintaining the caring culture that results. We move from simply saying ‘hi’ to more of a relationship with another. We become connected and sociologists will tell us that the more connected we are, the safer we are. And one thing we can all agree upon is that we want to feel safe in our communities.
Based on the success of this venture I’d like to suggest we go a bit further.
How about pledging to keep our smartphones in our pockets, backpacks or purses when we sit across from people in a restaurant? How about we use this time to actually look into the other’s eyes, listen to what they are saying and not to whip the smartphone out like a cowboy preparing for a gunfight? Is it just me or have you noticed the same thing? Just yesterday I watched what appeared to be a happy couple waiting for their food to arrive. Each had their BlackBerry out and sat for several minutes responding to or sending messages with no interaction between them. It’s like the other wasn’t even in the same room. Think about it…how many of our messages/texts are so vital that they can’t be ignored for 30 minutes? Why not invest this time to chat about movies, books, the weather or perhaps even to explore shared or even diverse values and beliefs? Use that time to make or build upon a connection. A face to face connection that allows us to explore our commonalties and differences.
Maybe we could call it “Just Sit Tight”.
No commentsReaching Out for Our Youth
The beginning of this month has started like many marathons do, fast and furious. Although I don’t often run and prefer other methods of conditioning, I began February by attending the Alberta Gang Reduction Training Symposium in Edmonton, Alberta. It was certainly an honor to be invited to attend this special training which brought together community volunteers, leaders and practitioners from across Alberta to learn from some of our leading, community-based, gang reduction experts.
This symposium focused on ensuring that people with a track-record for mobilizing their communities received practical training and information from on-the-ground practitioners delivering promising and evidence-based gang reduction programming. Over the 3-days, there were many new relationships forged among those who truly care about reaching out to our youth. Guest speakers and government officials spoke about the importance of gang reduction and collaborating with each other on multiple levels. Darren Caul, the Director for the Alberta Gang Reduction Strategy referred to this as “skin in the game” and there is no doubt that there are some very high stakes involved – our youth. Read more »
No commentsThe Changing Faces of Graffiti
2011 TAGS Event, Edmonton, Alberta
As a dedicated Crime Prevention and CPTED practitioner, I would like to suggest to you that the future is bright, creative and full of color. It may be somewhat risky for me to even suggest this, but I think we should give it a chance, graffiti that is. For those of you that are already calling the graffiti hotline to report me, hold the phone! Think about it, what are we really trying to eliminate here. If it’s vandalism on buildings and graffiti without permission then I’m still fighting in your corner. If graffiti is being done illegally then its certainly a crime and there should be significant consequences for those that perpetrate these acts of vandalism.
Last month, I attended The Anti-Graffiti Symposium (TAGS) event in Edmonton, Alberta. It’s not the first TAGS Event I’ve attended and it won’t be the last. It was hosted by the City of Edmonton’s Capital City Clean Up Program, with support from the Complaints and Investigations Section of the Community Standards Branch and the Edmonton Police Service. It was well-organized with plenty of supporters and a very dynamic group of guest speakers, many of them considered experts on the subject of graffiti. This year, there were also a number of graffiti artists and taggers invited which I thought was brilliant. After all, they were guests and did offer us a unique perspective on the subject during a panel presentation and discussion.
1 commentSummer Flashbacks 2011
Cochrane Street Piano
Well, it’s back to the business of blogging now that I’ve taken a summer break and enjoyed some terrific weather here in Red Deer, Alberta. There were plenty of interesting things to see and do and I even spent a little time in Santa Monica, California recently. Special thanks to Crime Prevention coordinators Lauralee and Suzie of the Santa Monica Police Department for allowing me to meet some of their Watch personnel and setting up a ride-along for me with patrol officer Blake Cooper. It’s a very progressive police service with dedicated, well-trained officers that work closely with their community to serve and protect. You will soon be able to follow the Santa Monica PD on Twitter.
It was great to see another successful summer launch of the Ross Street Piano here in Red Deer and a 2nd street piano provided for the residents of Cochrane, Alberta. Their initiative was the result of two Mount Royal University students studying criminology, with a little help from their professor. Randi Boulton, a young rising star who has always supported our local project in Red Deer was happy to provide the entertainment for their event on August 7th. Many passersby enjoyed the music and it will be something their community can now enjoy annually. Who says that you need to reinvent the wheel to produce great results. Through all of this I’ve somehow ended up with a new nickname and you can read about that in this summers edition of Red Deer Living Magazine.
There are some great crime prevention conferences just ahead. In Calgary this coming Wednesday, the Alberta Community Crime Prevention Association will be holding their event with a great lineup of speakers and you can still register. You can also attend The Anti Graffiti Symposium (TAGS) in Edmonton this October 18 & 19 and learn more about this important community issue. I will be attending both events with various colleagues and encourage you to join us.
Last but not least, we encourage you to join us on Twitter, subscribe by email or through our RSS feed and get connected with us. This is easy and can be done quickly by clicking on the links at the top of our blog. We do our best to share current and relevant information and always appreciate your contributions and feedback. This fall and winter we will be offering some great blog features on fencing, lighting, security, community-based policing initiatives and much more. Help us create safe communities everywhere and target crime in your neighbourhood.
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Smart on Crime
Smart on Crime in Waterloo Region: Getting to the Roots of Crime
When we set out to develop a new strategic plan for the Waterloo Region Crime Prevention Council (WRCPC) in 2010, we didn’t set out, intentionally, to create “the smart plan”….. It just evolved that way.
As we started to create our new plan, we had four elements to work with:
- A ton of information from an intensive community consultation process;
- The desire to create a plan that would engage our entire community from the grassroots to the highest levels of decision making ;
- The need to move beyond the tough vs. soft on crime debate;
And,
- This quote
Recognize complexity. Accept uncertainty. Embrace possibility. Trust community. Proceed with humanity. (©Eric Young, 2010 “Innovators in Action” Speaker Series)
Smart on Crime emerged as a plan that is rooted in the experience of the Waterloo Region community. But we also paid attention to what we know about successful municipally-based crime prevention in Canada and elsewhere. Smart is…
- Addressing the roots and risk factors for crime
- Using evidence based research to understand what works
- Investing in prevention, which costs less in the long and short term
- Building capacity in both communities and individuals
- Working in partnership across all sectors
- Focusing on actions that create social change
We also asked our community to tell us what smart on crime means to them.
It can be a challenging thing for an organization to throw itself open to full public scrutiny the way we did during the development of Smart on Crime. But we received such valuable information during the process that we couldn’t imagine creating this plan in any other way. It was during one focus group session that a group of people told us “We love what you do and we want more of it. But we don’t want you to work harder and longer hours… just work smarter”. That’s when the light bulb went on. The message of “Smart on Crime” began to develop in this organic way and its simplicity made sense to people.
Trailblazing a Smart Approach
Quite simply, preventing crime before it happens is the smart thing to do. It’s not about being tough on crime; it’s not about being soft on crime. It’s about being smart on crime. Smart on Crime in Waterloo Region focuses on what works best to prevent and reduce crime, victimization and fear of crime. Each and every person, community leader, organization and service in our community has a role to play in crime prevention. By this inclusive effort of all community members, we are well-placed to sustain the progress that makes us one of the safest communities in Canada.
Smart on Crime in Waterloo Region encourages a path of innovation and allows us to respond creatively to opportunities, emerging trends and community needs. Most of all, it challenges us to focus on putting together our collective knowledge, wisdom and experience about the root causes of crime and how to reduce and prevent them.
Now that is smart.
Author:
Juanita Metzger is a Community Engagement Coordinator with the Waterloo Region Crime Prevention Council and blogs for Smart on Crime in Waterloo Region. You can also find the Crime Prevention Council on Twitter and Facebook.
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May Springboard for Crime Prevention
Lorne Daniel leading Jane's Walk group in Downtown Red Deer
There was no shortage of events focusing on the importance of Crime Prevention and Safe Communities this month. Its been great and very exciting to be an active participant. Alberta Crime Prevention week was held from May 8 – 14 and I was honoured to serve on the selection committee, helping identify this years recipients for the 20th Annual Crime Prevention Awards. There was 9 awards received by various community organizations, police members, community groups collaborating with police, the media and two individuals. You will be able to get all the details soon by visiting the Alberta Solicitor General & Public Security online where you will find photos and bios on all the award winners this year. Kudos to our government and to the Alberta Community Crime Prevention Association for a job well done!
Crime prevention and community safety were also front and center locally, right here in the beautiful city of Red Deer, Alberta. There were several events and some very informative newspaper features in both the Red Deer Advocate and Red Deer Express for Crime Prevention Week. Subjects ranged from modern crime prevention looking to the root of the problem to our local RCMP Community Response Unit contributing to crime prevention in Red Deer’s downtown. However, the highlight for me was organizing a special event with my friend Lorne Daniel, for our cities first Jane’s Walk.
On Saturday, May 7th, Lorne and I lead two separate walks for the event, one in the morning and another mid-afternoon stroll. Both were fairly well attended, especially considering it was our first year organizing the walks. We had a good cross-section of people joining us, including Mayor Morris Flewwelling, City Councillor Paul Harris, several planners, citizens and even a project manager from Williams Engineering. The two themes we chose can be found at Jane’s Walk, along with a host of information on Jane Jacobs and the legacy she has left for all of us.
It’s amazing how many people actually got out and walked this year. At Jane’s Walk HQ, they recently reported that there has been significant growth! Here are some of the numbers as of May 25th: 511 tours around the world in 75 cities (36 cities in Canada) – yeah Red Deer, Alberta. Almost 20,000 people around the world participated on a Jane’s Walk on May 7 & 8, almost a 40% increase from last year. It was an incredible experience with Lorne and I getting some great feedback from those that joined us that cold, windy day. Now, we just have to walk the walk, so to speak and get ready for 2012.
Local Red Deer artist Amy Braun preparing the Ross Street Piano
Red Deer Advocate staff photographer Natasha Schmale snaps a great photo in preparation of the summer arrival of the Ross Street Piano on the streets of downtown Red Deer, next Wednesday. The piano made its first appearance last July when my friends and family contributed to its purchase for my 50th birthday. Some restoration work by A&J Piano and Tuning was required and then I gifted the instrument back to our community.
Crime prevention you ask – you bet
Crime Prevention through Environmental Design practitioners understand the benefits of creating safe streets and the types of activity that encourage positive interaction in our public spaces. Local residents, people at-risk, musicians and other passers-by sat down last summer to play a tune or just listen to the music. It was certainly music for my ears.
If you live in this neck of the woods or looking for a great day trip, come join us in Red Deer. Musicians Randi Boulton, Carl Stretton and Paeton Cameron will be joining many others and performing around the piano during the lunch hour, on June 1st. The Ross Street Piano will be located for your enjoyment in front of the Thai Garden Restaurant located at 4916 Ross Street from June 1st through August 2011.
EVERYONE IS WELCOME TO SHARE IN SOME GREAT MUSIC AND THE SPIRIT OF COMMUNITY
No commentsMobilizing for Safe Communities
The past few months have been a blur with many special events focusing on crime prevention and the importance of mobilization and continuing to engage our communities on this important subject. The highlight was in March where numerous crime prevention experts joined forces with the Alberta Government on the 29th & 30th in Calgary. The Mobilizing for Safe Communities Event was a great success and demonstrates our government is committed to promoting crime prevention and community safety.
The two days provided those in attendance with information from speakers that have been successful in sharing their experiences. We talked about what works and how we can continue the momentum by mobilizing our communities further by embracing best practices and supporting each other in our efforts. For crime prevention practitioners like myself, it was also a big boost and a pat on the back for doing what we do in our communities. Jack Calhoun, former President and CEO, US National Crime Prevention Council – UNITY (Urban Networks to Increase Thriving Youth) put it best when he said “what you do is not a career, it’s a calling.” There is no doubt that many communities and various practitioners throughout our province are dedicated to ensuring that crime prevention and community safety remains an on-going priority and is sustainable. The Alberta Government created the Alberta Safe Communities initiative for all of us and we must continue to play a role. You can start by planning a special event for Crime Prevention Week in your community. It will be held next month from May 8th – 14th, for more information please visit the Alberta Community Crime Prevention Association.
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Youth – Priority ONE
It is difficult not thinking about young people today, the many challenges they face, their future and some days even our own. After all, we’ve all been there and have valuable insight we can share. Are we missing a valuable opportunity to help the youth of today and lend a helping hand? I for one certainly learned some valuable lessons that I have shared with my own children. Growing up, I remember that it was often like banging my head against a brick wall. Fact is, that brick wall is solid and it hurts. Our youth face a wide-range of issues today – drugs, violence and gangs to name a few. It’s tuff growing up in today’s society, in many ways, it reminds of a mine field. Our youth are at-risk and we can all play an important role in their lives and not just at home but in our communities.
In the mid-90′s we referred to them as young offenders or youth in conflict with the law. Working as a correctional officer at a boot camp in the mountains near Nordegg, Alberta, I experienced first hand many boys heading down a destructive path with no future. Some of my co-workers use to say “once a criminal, always a criminal.” As a part-timer I challenged their belief and spent many hours reading files and then trying to make that connection, hoping to get through to just one of these young boys. Unfortunately, it didn’t happen often, but when it did it was magical. Often it was simply a case of listening and not always talking.
4 commentsOff and Running
It seems that many of us, including myself are off and running for 2011. This time of year is pretty exciting or at least I think so and I doubt I’m alone. Many people make their New Year resolutions and get all charged up! This is great so long as we are able to maintain a constant pace throughout the year and don’t drop behind the pack. If our goals are realistic, both personally and professionally then it’s likely we will succeed. I believe our communities go through a very similar process and it’s always nice to see them succeed. Despite our challenges in 2010, it was a great year in Red Deer and I’m predicting another winner for 2011.
Reaching out to one another is a great way of ensuring success in every community, even our on-line community. I think it’s important to remind everyone that this was the reason for creating this blog back in 2008. So, in the true spirit of community I’m challenging all of our subscribers and visitors to ENGAGE with us throughout the year. This blog is really about collaboration and sharing information and resources from around the world. You can easily submit a Guest Feature by sending us an email with your idea or simply providing feedback on the features that appear monthly.
So, what’s new since leaving the starting line this year? A number of discussions and meetings with other crime prevention colleagues specializing in Crime Prevention through Environmental Design (CPTED) has helped create new alliances for 2011. Last year there were discussions among some of us to start collaborating more and meeting as a group. This spring a number of practitioners will meet in the City of Red Deer to conduct a walk-a-bout in various neighbourhoods to share valuable insight and expertise. The idea is to do this every other month in different communities around Alberta. So far, those agreeing to this are Greg Smith from Urban Security Innovation in Edmonton, Gerry Bailey, a CPTED Specialist for the Calgary Police Service and Barry Davidson, the Executive Director of the International CPTED Association. Yes, there’s more …
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