Police and downtown businesses are working together for safer streets.
After a meeting with the downtown Timmins Business Improvement Association, Insp. Henry Dacosta said owners have been asked to call in incidents. Timmins Police will track the data for the next three months, then the two groups will meet again.
Dacosta explained how sometimes business owners don't want to bother police with items they don't think would be a high priority.
“In order to direct our resources, we need to ensure that we receive those calls. It’s not a burden, it’s our job to take those calls and the more information that we can obtain the better we can allocate our resources,” he told the Timmins Police Services Board members.
The calls they are encouraging business owners to make could be theft or mischief, or even if there are needles lying around.
“Police vehicles carry sharps containers in the back of their vehicles,” he said. “We don’t want that on the street, we don’t want a child or an animal or something touching a needle which could have something contagious on it or…some drugs left in it.”
He said they are also considering augmenting beat patrol officers is by having auxiliary members walk with them.
“It’s more presence, it’s more safety and security at times, it’s more community involvement, more community interaction; it’s good. It’s a good partnership,” he said.
Since the BIA meeting, Timmins Mayor Steve Black said the feedback from the businesses has been ‘very positive.’
“Hopefully that continues and we can work together to ensure that the proper incidents are getting reported so that we have them for our stats and that follow up can be done,” he said.
