Residents have mixed feelings about downtown safety

By: Benjamin Priebe

BELLEVILLE, Ont. (08/11/2011) - Residents of downtown Belleville have a wide range of opinions on safety in the area. Police are adressing the issues with neighbourhood patrols and CCTV cameras. Photo by Benjamin Priebe.

People who live and work in downtown Belleville say they have a wide range of feelings about their safety and crime issues in the area.

Many people who live along Front Street agree downtown has a reputation as a community struggling against drug crime and violence.

Patricia Mitchell has lived downtown with her family for a year now and has owned The Studio café for a year and a half.

“Belleville has a reputation similar to any downtown. It is very rough and there is this idea that drug dealers and prostitutes hang around,” said Mitchell. “At night, it seems very seedy.”

According to the Belleville Police Service annual reports, the crime rate in Belleville actually dropped between 2009 and 2010, but there continues to be frequent thefts, robberies, vandalism and break and entering incidents along Front Street.

According to a 2011 survey by Maclean’s magazine, Belleville’s rate of break and entering is 102 per cent higher than the national average, making it the most likely city for a break-in to occur. Maclean’s also dubbed Belleville “Ontario’s most dangerous city” the second year in a row in 2011.

“I worry about my daughter here, but no more than in any other place. There are issues wherever you go,” said Mitchell. “I think cities in general need to deal with the criminal element.”

Const. Rene Aubertin has worked with the Belleville Police Service for 10 years and is in charge of the community policing program.

“The community policing program puts together a team of volunteer citizens who then patrol downtown and report their findings. They are the eyes and ears of the police.”
The program was initiated in December of 2010 and has “only ever gotten positive feedback from the people it works with. They are happy to see a presence in the community,”
said Aubertin.

Police also made two drug busts on Victoria Avenue and Maitland Drive two weeks ago, arresting three people and seizing at least $9,300 in cocaine.
“The crime map on the Belleville Police Service website shows the recent crimes and where they have happened,” said Aubertin.

Sylvin Pineau, a 55-year-old unemployed pianist who lives on Front Street said he has come into contact with many homeless people, criminals and drug addicts. “I’ve never had a problem downtown. I’m a nice guy and everyone knows me because of my son. But if you start a problem downtown, you can be sure you’ll get hurt.”
Pineau explained that he sometimes helps out his son and his son’s friends if they cannot find a place to stay. However, he is concerned that they bringing drugs into his home or are involved in criminal activity.

The street is lined on both sides by small shops and their friendly shop owners and the arts community has made itself known through gallery shows and concerts.
“The arts community is starting to have a rejuvenating effect. It brings more people downtown and allows them to feel comfortable. But there is more work to be done,” said Mitchell.

The Belleville Police Service installed 17 Closed Circuit TV cameras around businesses and parking lots in the downtown area last March to deter violence and vandalism and to track and respond to crime much faster.

“I know the CCTV cameras have been used in several instances to get information about a crime or incident and that the information has led to arrests. I see them and they work,” said Aubertin.

Pineau said that he does not care about the cameras because he is a good person and does not have anything to hide.

“I suppose they can allow the police to stop someone getting mugged or attacked though. That’s good.”

Mitchell believes that the safety issues are not confined to Front Street.

“After a year of living here, I know who the drug dealers and prostitutes who walk around near my café are. They don’t just hang around downtown. I see them all over, even in the mall,” said Mitchell. “The crime problem is city-wide and should be dealt with accordingly.”