The Community Association Safety Committee Portfolio was established over 3 years ago. The initial year required that the work and time be invested in researching and defining what safety entails, the agencies and resources involved, learning the City’s processes, procedures, and who is the contact person within the various business units etc. In addition, networking with stakeholders and fostering relationships with the Community Resource Officer (CRO) from Calgary Police Services (CPS) and the City’s Neighbourhood Community Coordinator have all been part of the process.
Our community is unique because in the heart of our community is public transportation. Not only is there a C-train station, but it’s also one of the major bus hubs. Access to public transportation was, at one time, a sought after amenity which attracted people to live in the Hounsfield/Briar Hill community. However, since COVID-19, the public transportation crime issues have increased crimes due to accessibility compared to other neighbouring communities. Given that our community is more of the exception by having public transportation within our community, the challenges that we face are in finding solutions to the increased crime issue as a result of decreased public transportation ridership. The municipal and provincial bodies need to find solutions to address these increased crime issues within HH/BH associated with public transportation, especially since these crime issues are having a direct impact on the residents’ lifestyles according to the safety survey results. Residents are now questioning if this increase in crime is affecting their property values. In addition, is the reputation of our community being negatively impacted as well?
No one could have predicted how the pandemic would leave residents with the challenges of responding to these safety changes. It can feel like navigating without a compass. As time consuming as it can often be, one of the most valuable tools that we have as a community is to be diligent in reporting all types of safety issues, no matter how small or irrelevant they may seem. The statistics determine the resources allocated and unreported crimes result in inaccurte data.
The Beacon has been used as a resource to update residents on various issues such as…
- How to report a street light outage
- What can be reported online to CPS
- The Safer Communities and Neighbourhoods unit (SCAN)
- Vandalism and graffiti
- Rough housing or encampments
- The different ways to report encampments
- The CPS 9PM routine, etc.
Providing educational tools to the community allows residents to become involved in reporting and steering how safety will be managed. This is one of the many reasons why reporting is so important. Plus, this documentation is key to receiving resources and getting people the help and support that they need to live healthier lives.
In September 2021, the Safety Committee developed and executed a 2-hour “Community Tour” for the Ward 7 candidates. The main objective of the tour was to allow the community to show the Ward 7 candidates our areas of concern and the location of these concerns. This tour was created after consultation with the HH/BH Strategic Planning and Land Use Committee. Safety was only one of the factors presented on the tour. Though late, the Ward 7 Councillor Terry Wong did attend the tour and he listened to a first hand testimony of an HH/BH senior who was viciously assaulted at the Lion’s Park c-train station in May 2021.
Let’s fast forward to June 2022. Issues can only be addressed if they are identified. This was the reason the safety survey was designed and implemented. As far as the Community Association Safety Committee is aware, this was the first survey of its type so thank you to the 177 residents who responded to it. The survey was available in hardcopy at the safety booth at the June Summer Solstice event. Also, one of the safety directors was available to hand out safety packages, answer questions, and have conversations pertaining to safety with residents. The electronic survey was available on the HH/BH website from June 18 until July 8 (Community Stampede Breakfast) as well granting residents more than a 2-week window of time to complete the survey online.
Given the diverse landscape of our community of green space, parks, hills, schools, playgrounds etc., hopefully every resident felt that they were given an opportunity to prioritize their safety concerns and to share their comments and suggestions regarding safety concerns.
Question 1: How safe do you feel in the HH/BH community?”
Responses:
- Don’t feel safe at all = 15.38%
- Depends on the time of day and location = 64.10%
- Feel safe for most of the time = 20.51%
- Believe safety isn’t a concern = 0.00%
Question 2: How concerning is prowling, trespassing, theft in our community to you?
Responses:
- Extremely important = 74.36%
- Very important = 19.06%
- Somewhat important = 3.42%
- Not so important = 1.71%
- Not at all important = 0.85%
Questions 3: How concerning is drug use and needle debris in our community to you?
Responses:
- Extremely important = 85.34%
- Very important = 8.62%
- Somewhat important = 4.31%
- Not so important = 0.80%
- Not at all important = 0.80%
Questions 4: How concerning is loitering in/at C-train platforms and surrounding green spaces to you?
Responses:
- Extremely important = 76.92%
- Very important = 14.53%
- Somewhat important = 5.14%
- Not so important = 0.80%
- Not a all important = 2.56%
Question 5: How concerning are encampments in our green spaces to you?
Responses:
- Extremely important = 74.36%
- Very important = 16.24%
- Somewhat important = 5.98%
- Not so important = 1.71%
- Not at all important = 1.71%
Question 6: How concerning is garage/debris and human waste management in our community to you?
Responses:
- Extremely important = 63.25%
- Very important = 25.64%
- Somewhat important = 9.40%
- Not so important = 1.71%
- Not at all important = 0.00%
Question 7: How concerning is graffiti and vandalism in our community to you?
Responses:
- Extremely important = 41.89%
- Very important = 36.79%
- Somewhat important = 17.95%
- Not so important = 3.42%
- Not at all important = 0.00%
In summary, the highest percentage of being “extremely concerned” at 85.34% was Question 3: How concerning is drug use and needle debris in our community to you?
Many of the Question 1 comments also pertained to Question 3. The data from this survey demonstrates one of the primary safety concerns in our community is linked to drug use. Over 80% of the residents’ comments also expressed that they have significant concerns about drug use, the overall social disorder issues on or around the C-train, the Hounsfield Community Association’s soccer field, and the Louise Riley Library.
The HH/BH Community Association and the Safety Portfolio are currently discussing various ways to expand the dialogue surrounding the drug and other safety issues within our community. By providing your contact information to the CA, as a community collectively, we can organize our actions to participate in addressing our concerns. Actions can include forming a walking group that tours through our parks and green spaces. Perhaps a coffee meeting with friends in an outdoor area can be organized. Take the time to become familiar with reporting vandalism, graffiti, or garbage on the 311 app. Share how to report and support your neighbours in reporting. Know your neighbours. And lastly, reporting is something within our control. Let’s use that tool to make our community, once again, a desired and enjoyable place to live because we all have a part to play when it comes to safety.
Regards,
The HH/BH Community Association Safety Committee
