by Dan Plouffe Following numerous reports of items stolen from vehicles in the area – including the Bruce Springsteen CD in his own SUV – Beacon Hill North Community Association president Tim Tierney is out to show the thieves who’s really boss. “I have to laugh – they’re getting small stuff, but it’s more of a frustration,” Tierney says. “So we’re going to take the lead and have a Neighbourhood Watch.” There have been Neighbourhood Watch signs up in the community for quite some time, Tierney notes, but all the things necessary for the program to be successful weren’t really in place, such as block captains from each street and everyone collectively on the lookout for suspicious activity. The ball is now rolling though since Const. Wayne Wilson of the Cyrville Community Police Centre came out to the last BHNCA public meeting in early February to make a presentation about Neighbourhood Watch. In an informal survey, they found about three-quarters of those present at the meeting had items stolen from their cars. “Then I asked how many people left their vehicle unlocked when it got broken into and a high percentage said that they had,” Wilson says, noting that a locked door is usually enough to avoid a theft. “That’s the most important thing. If it’s locked and these people want to get in, they’re going to have to use another way.” Thieves will often enter through an unlocked door, trunk or even sunroof – rarely is there damage to the vehicles – in search of items that can be snatched quickly such as loose change, sunglasses, CDs, laptops or cameras, Wilson adds. “It’s basically a guy walking down the street checking cars here and there, and if one’s open, they try to score what they can from a vehicle quickly and then get out,” he says, noting problems often increase during the summertime under the cover of night. In the four years he’s worked in the area, the Neighbourhood Watch program never really got to where Wilson wanted it in Beacon Hill, but with the support of the revitalized community association – which will mention the Watch at all their future public meetings and in their monthly newsletter – he’s looking forward to an improved program. “It also brings people closer together – they may not have talked to their neighbours before until they decide to come together for this,” Wilson adds. “It’s very simple – there’s no cost to it, and everyone’s living their daily life unless there’s something that seems out of the ordinary.” Tierney, meanwhile, agrees that it’s important to be vigilant even if theft isn’t the first thing on residents’ minds – especially considering the number of people who have told him they’ve had some sort of break-in in the past two or three years. “They’re on a well-lit street, they’ve got all the right things going for them in the neighbourhood and they’re still getting broken into,” Tierney says. “They’re more frustrated than anything. But you have to look for a silver lining I guess and the good news is the police are very cooperative and willing to help – Const. Wayne Wilson is a great guy and really wants to see the Neighbourhood Watch program take off.”