Increased drug abuse in central Ottawa has resulted in a dramatic upswing in property crimes in the area, Ottawa police say.
Police statistics indicate that from May to August this year, bike theft skyrocketed 45 per cent, to 246 from 191, compared with the same time in 2007; theft from vehicles shot up 28 per cent, with 185 reported, up from 128. Break and enters, an almost daily occurrence in the area, increased to 109 from 95, a 15-per-cent jump.
Const. Nathan Hoedeman, the officer in charge of the Somerset Community Police Centre, says the numbers don’t tell the full story.
Rather than an increase in theft, he says the numbers represent a migration of criminal behaviour to the core of the city from other neighbourhoods.
“Sometimes the problem has just moved on to another area, so when Centretown might no longer be seeing some types of criminal activity, other areas . . . may be seeing an upswing,” he said.
Paula Mooers, 38, says she has been using crack for more than a decade and has been homeless for four years.
Prostitution pays for her habit. She recently relocated to Centretown from the Byward Market, where she says violence and theft are becoming all too common among homeless people.
“I was getting robbed a lot,” says Mooers of her decision to relocate to Centretown.
“[Crack users] are friendlier down here, the women who work the street are more friendly with each other.”
Mooers says a hit of crack sells for as little as $5. She adds that the nature of the addiction drives users to do whatever it takes for the next fix, including prostitution and theft.
“I see an increased level of desperation in the homeless people falling through the cracks; I see an increase in people that have got an addiction issue,” says Hoedeman.
“With more people walking around Centretown with addictions issues you are going to get some of the crime that goes along with that.”
Last year, police shut down an Internet café around the corner from their Somerset offices for trafficking drugs. Inside, they found stolen bikes that they say were brought there to be exchanged for crack.
Hoedeman says one factor responsible for the increase in bike theft is a surge in the number of commuters switching to bikes – a response to higher gas prices. More cyclists in Centretown have created easy pickings for potential thieves.
The incidence of theft has led police to create programs aimed at deterring potential thieves and preventing property theft.
The Home Security Inspection program sends out officers who assess the safety of a home and provide suggestions on how to make it safer.
Other initiatives such as the Bike Bait program aim to catch thieves by luring them with unlocked bikes.
Just last week Ottawa police conducted a one-day Bike Bait project downtown, resulting in the arrest of eight people.
A total of 10 charges were laid, including theft.
Constables Steven Lewis and David Zackrias, who work with the Bike Bait program, say two hotspots for bike theft in Centretown are Bank at Queen and Gladstone streets.
They say many bikes are never claimed because they aren’t identified.
The Ottawa police provide a free engraving service at their Somerset office. Bicycles, laptops and other valuable items can be engraved with a driver’s license number, which allows police to identify the owner of a stolen item once it is recovered.
Hoedeman says he believes a community effort is needed if theft is to be reduced.
“People looking out for each other, taking the time to educate themselves about some simple home security techniques . . . if this happened street by street, certainly you would see a decrease,” he says.
“Taking back your community is always going to work better than heavy duty police enforcement.”