WPS spreads word about E-Watch, public safety

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This article was published 05/08/2010 (5519 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Police officers were knocking on doors in the William Whyte neighbourhood last week in an effort to promote the Winni­peg Police Service’s E-Watch program and neighbourhood safety.

Ten officers visited area residents on July 28 to provide information about the year-old program, which provides up-to-date information on property crimes in specific neighbourhoods courtesy of an email newsletter. It also provides tips on crime prevention and links to pro­grams such as CrimeStoppers and CrimeStat.

Officers were also out distributing information about the Safer Communities and Neighbourhood Act, which holds property owners accountable for threatening or distributing activities that regularly take place on their property.

“This is the first time we have done this and it is a bit of a pilot project,” said Const. Garnie McIntyre.

“If nothing else we want to get people talking about what is going on in the community. It is one thing to patrol the streets, it is quite another thing to walk.”

E-Watch was launched last summer by the WPS. Members of the public can sign up and receive bi-weekly emails about the police district of their choice.

After it’s first week of operation last summer, E-Watch had garnered more than 2,000 subscribers. That number has since swelled to 8,000.

McIntyre said police officials have been pleased with the results of the program to date.

“E-Watch has gotten people talking to each other,” he said. “People will log on and see that something has happened on a certain block and street for example and will get more information from their neighbours.”

McIntyre said the reaction of William Whyte residents to last week’s visit was mixed.

“People are pleased that we are out here today, but at the same time are disheartened that things seem to be getting worse,” he said.
That sentiment was shared by one area resident in the 300 block of Burrows Avenue.

“Things are getting worse. My truck was recently parked out on the street and the radio was stolen out of it. It is getting bad again,” the resident said.

E-Watch emails link to the most recent break-and-enters and stolen vehicles, with details such as the precise time of the crime and where it occurred. In addition, if a member of the public sees a strange car parked in their neighbourhood, they are able to search to see if the vehicle has been reported as stolen.

“We’ve found a lot of property owners, landlords and parking lot managers are using E-Watch to run license plates of cars, which is fantastic,” McIntyre said.

rob.brown@canstarnews.com