Current incidents, like a 16-hour standoff requiring closely armed tactical officers and disaster negotiators in a Bayfield Avenue parking zone, have some Barrie residents questioning simply how secure town is.
“I feel that if you are in the right place at the right time, it’s safe, but if you go out, you know, downtown Barrie after night I think it’s a dangerous place,” said resident Angela Molnaar.
According to Stats Canada, there has been a slight uptick in crime from last year, but crime in the city is significantly down from 2019.
Yellow tape and police vehicles remain in a Bayfield Street plaza parking lot on Wed., Nov. 20, 2024, following a weapons-related investigation in Barrie, Ont. ( Ontario Chronicle/Mike Arsalides)
An online Barrie police survey is trying to determine what safety concerns people have with the city. Police want to hear from those who live in there area.
This is the sixth year Barrie police have conducted the online survey. Last year 1,600 residents participated.
“It’s really helpful to us in terms of hearing where the concerns are in the community, where we might need to address more crime prevention or just work with the community partners in that area so it’s completely voluntary and its completely confidential as well,” said Jannett Mays with the Barrie police.
From recent incidents like the stand off… or police clearing out encampments along Bradford Street near the city’s downtown, homeless encampments have many people a little nervous about potential safety issues.
“Well the drugs and stuff like that you know. I don’t feel safe in Barrie you know, I have to keep looking behind my back you know I don’t trust anybody,” stated a neighborhood resident.
Barrie police on the encampment positioned at 80 Bradford Avenue in Barrie Ont. on Nov, 21 2024. ( Ontario Chronicle Rob/Cooper)
Even those that dwell within the encampments admit they’ve security considerations.
“Not too secure. I’d really feel an entire lot safer if we had housing, being out right here on the streets will not be secure for any one in all us. There’s a variety of instances the place individuals are passing by means of right here on a regular basis, and I don’t know who they’re and I don’t know what they’re going to do, so in fact neither one in all us really feel 100 per cent secure.”
Police will take the subsequent a number of weeks to go over all the data collected from the survey, and current a report someday within the new yr.
