Fear and frustration. Those were just a few of the emotions that filled the community room at Barrie Police Headquarters last night.
Approximately 50 residents from Ward 10 in the city’s south end met with police officials to discuss concerns around an increase in violence in the area — ranging from fights in a nearby plaza and doors at homes being kicked in to physical and sexual assault.
Jennifer Bolzicco was among the residents who questioned why, if police are aware of the individuals responsible, they are not being locked up.
“It’s the same group of kids, let’s be clear. They sent pictures of my daughter’s room saying they were going to come rape her," she said.
"They attacked my son wearing masks at the school and I called the police multiple times … days it took for you guys to come to us and you know what I was told? Well, we don’t like to press charges on kids," said Bolzicco.
"Showing us data on how we are in safe neighbourhoods when this is happening and this is escalating is doing nothing but making us feel like it’s not important,” Bolzicco added.
Edward Anderson, who also lives in the area, said the violent behaviour is only going to escalate.
“They have no fear of the law, they have no fear of their parents and they have no fear of anybody in the community, therefore there’s no consequences for their actions,” he said.
Police Chief Rich Johnston said violent youth committing violent acts needs to be handled differently than youth making poor decisions. The role of police is as a public safety organization, he added.
“We are not the end-to-end portion of the justice system, so please understand that we do not conduct vigilante justice," the chief said. "What we do is practise the law that has been given to us by the province of Ontario. The Youth Criminal Justice Act is very prescriptive in what we can and what we cannot do.
"I am not trying to minimize that because that level of victimization is disturbing … I cannot fix an entire justice system and nor can the police be responsible for it,” Johnston added.
Jill and Eric Prentice, who have lived on Westminster Circle for 14 years, said they wanted to attend the meeting to hear about the concerns of their neighbours.
“My friend next door said there were some problems on the street and she thought we should come and hear what they have to say," Jill Prentice said.
The couple said they’ve always believed they lived in a safe area, but added the increase of crime has them second-guessing that feeling.
“I was looking at the police report on the community (page) and it looks like there’s a lot more petty crime going on in the area," Eric Prentice said. "We live down the street from the new high school and there have been quite a few problems there."
Police officials shared information and statistics with the standing-room only crowd, which Johnston noted whatever else they hear, the individual experience and the victimization is never minimized.
“We have to talk in broad numbers and high-level (information), but at the same time, if something happens to you, it may be earth-shattering but it may be captured as a number, and we are sensitive to that,” the chief explained at the start of the meeting.
Const. Kiera Brooks, who works as a community safety and well-being officer, acknowledged police are aware of issues being seen at a local plaza near the new Maple Ridge Secondary School, which opened in September 2021.
“There were some fights," she said. "And we acknowledge that there have been several fights in that parking lot and I am not minimizing this, but your ward is not immune to that. Every school in our community has a plaza that is next door to a school and unfortunately kids get out on their lunch time … and sometimes there are fights.”
Each fight that has occurred has resulted in an investigation and police have made several arrests, Brooks added.
“Those kids were investigated and sent to the court system," she said. "Youths have a lot of privacy and we have to protect our youth and we can’t share their names … that’s just the way the youth criminal justice system works.
"I can tell you when we get a call for service, we respond and we react and investigate. I want to dispel those rumours that we aren’t doing anything."
Brooks added that during some investigations, a lot of times kids opt not to come forward because they are scared of retaliation.
“We are at the mercy of your kids," she said. "I would strongly suggest you have these strong conversations with the kids. If they are involved in incidents … sometimes it’s best not to protect each other. They’ve got to come forward and have open conversations with their family and with an adult they feel comfortable with about reporting it ... or contact our engagement unit and we can walk you through it and explain things.”
Several arrests were made in a March 28 incident that saw several teens go to a residence with a hatchet, she noted.
“Almost immediately we were there and we (made) several arrests. We are there and we are doing the best we can,” Brooks said.
After uniformed officers get the initial report, their investigation is then passed along to the Criminal Investigation Branch, which then works to conduct an additional series of investigations and interviews, as well as work with local youth services to attempt to get to the root cause of the issues and behaviour.
For 2022, it was noted that Ward 10 has the “least harm score” in the city, explained Sgt. Randy Fitzgerald, as well as the lowest number of calls for service.
“In the first quarter of 2023, we are seeing the same trends,” he said.
Brooks urged parents and caregivers to talk to their kids and let them know they need to respect the local businesses and residents.
“We need to work collectively as a community,” she said, suggesting residents create a neighbourhood watch group, which has proven to be effective in other wards across the city.
She also suggested residents register their home security camera, as it would provide faster access to police for investigative purposes. Using CrimeStoppers is another good way to report concerns anonymously, Brooks added.
“We are doing a lot of things behind the scenes to help, but you guys can help, too, with a neighbourhood watch,” she said.
Following the meeting, Johnston said he was impressed with the evening’s turnout and was happy to see so many concerned citizens come out and be willing to share voice their concerns with the police and their neighbours.
“That is active citizenship. We have already asked for another meeting, because I think it’s hugely impactful when you have engaged citizens," he said. "We have hosted other meetings where no one shows up and that’s a concern. There may be higher crime, lower crime, and that’s a factual statement versus the perception and that fear."
Johnston said he’s recommended ongoing meetings, adding officials are also looking at other ways to share data, while also respecting municipal Freedom of Information laws they are required to abide by.
“We’d encourage as many community meetings as are needed to help our community to feel safer and to know that they have a community-based police service because that’s what we are,” he said.
Coun. Bryn Hamilton, who organized the meeting between police officials and her constituents in Ward 10, said Tuesday’s meeting served as a good first step in creating a more open dialogue between residents and police.
“I think it really highlighted the level of concern among residents and that the community wants to work together … in recognizing that we do all have a role to play," she said. "I think their concerns are valid and it was just an opportunity for them to be heard, and for Barrie police to identify what’s been done to date and look at what we need to do better.”
That includes the creation of a neighbourhood watch, as well as a partnership with the school board and other organizations.
“Did we solve everything tonight? No, we didn’t," Hamilton said. "I think this is just the beginning of the conversation.
"The level of concerns are significant, even though we are talking about a small group of youth that are eliciting violent or disturbing behaviour, it’s impacting everybody significantly," the councillor added. "Nobody should be afraid to walk their streets at night.
"In the 40 years I have lived in Ward 10, it’s been a safe place to sleep and to live. Somehow that’s changing and we need to fix it.”
