More lighting and high property standards: Windsor police offer tips to Erie Street businesses

There's plenty the businesses on Erie Street are doing right to help combat crime, Windsor police told business owners at a community meeting on Tuesday.

But there are still some things that individuals can help do to fight petty crime and vandalism in the historic neighbourhood.

"We want to tell them that every individual action counts. So you don't have to be super security trained or anything like that," said Barry Horrobin, the director of planning and physical resources with the Windsor Police Service.

He and other Windsor police members spoke at a community meeting for business owners and residents in the Erie Street community Tuesday night.

"Being more aware, not dropping your guard. Every neighbourhood has strengths. This neighbourhood has many strengths," he said. "It's recognizing how to build off the strings they have in this neighborhood to their distinct advantage. That's would be a disadvantage to the criminal."

Horrobin said that individual actions within the control of each property owner helps the overall safety of the neighbourhood. And the good news is, they've done a lot right, Horrobin added, like naming alleyways to make it easier for police to respond and investing in landscaping and lighting.

While it wasn't the focus of the meeting, it comes on the heels of a shooting in the neighbourhood over the weekend, one of a handful in the last year. No one was injured in the weekend incident.

But Horrobin says that only between 9.5 and 14 per cent of crime that happened in the last five years in the neighbourhood police term the "Erie Street corridor" actually happens within the bounds of the Via Italia BIA.

And, he says, crime in the Erie Street corridor was down 17.5 per cent last year.

Vito LaSelva owns La Contessa Ristorante. He says people are worried about crime in the area and there is concern about the recent shoots fired incident.

"I think there is concern about that, what has happened, why it's happening and what can we do to improve the situation here," he said.

He says that he and others have noticed a bit of a drop in business, but chalks it up to economics, not community concern about crime.

Pietro DiPonio is the interim president of the Via Italia BIA and organizer of the annual Via Italia bike race.

He also says there's concern — but the meeting is more about the "petty crime" that happens in the neighbourhood.

"I think it it matters a great deal to them, but mostly this meeting is really about a lot of the more petty crimes that occur and the vandalism and that type of thing, which are more nuisance things that happen," DiPonio said.

"In this case, we're [talking] a lot about the small things that day-to-day business concerns."

Police offer crime-fighting tips

Police offered some tips to residents to help minimize petty crime. They include:

• Keep an 'elevated' level of property maintenance.

• Establish and maintain good lighting.

• Fix damaged property and covering graffiti promptly.

• Address areas prone to loitering, like covered areas and window ledges.

• Look for design features that offer more visibility.

• Display addresses prominently, including in areas that face alleyways.

• Use solid core doors and quality locks.

• Keep outdoor lighting on throughout the night.

• Use motion lighting for "back of house" areas.