With Crime Prevention Week wrapping up in the province, OPP detachments have again, placed their emphasis on crime prevention, community safety and well-being.
This year’s theme for Crime Prevention Week: “Serving Ontario, Protecting Communities”. This proactive theme was designed to encourage community safety and well-being as a shared responsibility, including the engagement of multi-sector partners at a local level.
Police officials remind the community that “no one chooses to be a victim of crime”. But when crime happens, it hurts. We are extremely fortunate to live in a Province where crime is the exception rather than the norm for most people who live, work and enjoy all that Ontario has to offer.
Members of the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police (OACP), all police officers, and police personnel work closely with government, business and community leaders to promote the health and wellness of all our communities and those who live and work in our neighbourhoods, towns and cities.
The OPP continues to remind the public of some of the community safety programs that assist in keeping Ontario communities safe, including: Crime Prevention through Environmental Design (CPTED), SafeGuard Ontario, and Lock It or Lose It, just to name a few. Many OPP detachments across the province offer different programs that are tailored for local communities.
The OPP will continue to utilize social media to showcase some crime prevention tips and ideas using Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Everyone who lives, works or goes to school in Ontario deserves to feel safe. Get involved in your community to increase safety and well-being. Know what’s available in the community to promote safety and well-being and prevent crime. You are also encouraged to work with your local police service and other government, educational and health care and social service providers/ community groups to address crime in your communities.
OPP remind individuals that this is a collaborative effort. In other words, everyone has a role to play with keeping our communities safe. We all need to work together to ensure for example, that valuables are locked and secured, reducing your risk of victimization. We can’t do it alone, everything needs to do their part.
For information on Crime Prevention Week activities in your community, it is recommended you contact your local OPP detachment.