Crime drops in Etobicoke North, students feel safer
With tired and fading housing units and old, worn-down strip malls that bleed graffiti, many could assume crime was prevalent in Etobicoke North which surrounds the Guelph-Humber campus. But in this community, looks are deceiving.
“Overall crime [in Etobicoke North] is down 22.9 per cent,” said Const. Wendy Drummond, a statistic that supports a recent police poll stating that 84 per cent of residents feel safe to relatively safe within the neighbourhood. This feeling of safety is thanks in part to the Toronto Police who have made the community one of their priority areas in recent years. Drummond explained that 23 Division, Etobicoke North’s police department, deploys the Toronto Anti-Violence Intervention Strategy (TAVIS) in the area. This strategy is responsible for reducing crime and increasing safety in certain neighbourhoods, and it appears to be working.
“I think it’s pretty safe with all the added security, and it’s a very close-knit community,” said Guelph-Humber student Asheka Khan who lives in the area. Fourth year Justice Studies student Shawn Fenton agrees, “I’ve walked around here to go to my car at Woodbine around nine or 10 o’clock and nothing has happened to me…so I feel safe.” But Early Childhood Education student Julie Carver who lives on residence isn’t so sure. “If [people] knew all the [stuff] that goes down around here they would not be feeling very safe. Rape, meth lab busts, shootings…” She explained that she was almost mugged in the area and also watched as a man at a bus stop was assaulted. However, police statistics paint a different picture.
“Sexual assaults year to date are down 53 per cent, assaults are down 17 per cent, break and enters down 47 per cent,” said Const. Drummond. A large leap from just a few years ago in 2011 when Etobicoke North made the list as one of the 10 neighbourhoods with the most per capita crime, ranking number one for thefts over $5,000.
It is statistics like this that have had a lasting impact on some, leading to a bad reputation for the area. Though Ashley Sutherland, Front Desk Assistant for R building thinks this is unfair. “I think it’s pretty safe, it just has a reputation of not being safe…I mean anywhere you go there’s going to be unsafe people, you can’t really justify an area depending on who inhabits it,” said Sutherland.
About the Author
Meaghan Ritola is a third-year media and journalism student at the University of Guelph-Humber who hopes to pursue a career in broadcasting. With a passion for music and a knack for discovering and researching up-and-coming artists, she would one day like to become a music-industry journalist.
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