By Heather Killen
The Spectator
NovaNewsNow.com
Middleton area residents seem to be breathing easier now that arrests have been made in a series of break and enters that took place last year.
Deputy Mayor Vera Errington said a joint meeting of the Police Advisory Boards (PAB) for the Town of Middleton and Municipality of Annapolis was held in Middleton on January 30. This meeting was held as a follow-up to a December meeting, when various residents spoke up with concerns about a number of recent break and enters.
She added that she thought this was a good meeting and the mood in the room was very different from the last time.
“I think people are seeing that crime is a community problem,” she said. “When you have people working together to solve problems, anything is possible.”
With arrests now made in connection to most of this criminal activity and other visible steps being taken by the RCMP and within the community, Errington said people seem more satisfied that their concerns were heard and are being addressed.
Community Initiatives
Community initiatives such as the Neighbourhood Watch Program, town initiatives to consider options like installing security cameras and speed monitors at high visibility points such as intersections; and the police initiatives such as community crime prevention workshops, and other changes are all contributing to making the community a safer place again.
“We want to be known as a good place to do business,” she said. “And not a good place to shoplift.”
Given the rash of break and enters in the town last year, the council had received numerous calls from concerned citizens. In response, they invited citizens to come out to the December meeting of the police advisory committee to discuss these concerns.
Many of the same faces came back to the January meeting, according to Clayton MacMurtry, town chief administrative officer. He said given that some of the concerns raised at the December meeting came from residents of the County of Annapolis, they decided to hold a joint meeting in January with county PAB.
“It was a really good meeting,” he said. “There are the same frustrations, so it made sense to bring everyone in.”
Town Options
He added that the town has been looking at various options to discourage criminal activity. One step has been to explore the feasibility of installing a security camera system similar to one being used in Hantsport.
“Everybody was impressed with the system,” he said. “And this is something we can probably set up for as little as $60,000 to $80,000 and we can add on as necessary.”
The camera system in Hantsport was about $180,000 to install, but MacMurtry said that a large part of this cost was to install a fiberoptic system that is already in place here. The system would strategically place high-resolution cameras at intersections, or high traffic points that would record data that could be used later as evidence if a crime occurs.
The town also approved the purchase of two speed monitors to be used at the east and west sides of the town to help drivers maintain lower speed limits. Similar monitors are being used successfully in Kentville to reduce speeding.
A third step being taken to make Middleton a safer place to drive will be to issue parking tickets to violators. In the past the parking tickets had to be personally delivered by RCMP officers, but now MacMurtry said parking tickets can be left on windshields.
Common Practice
This is a common practice in various towns and municipalities including the towns of Windsor and Truro, and the Halifax Regional Municipality. MacMurty added the earlier these $25 tickets are paid, the better. If the RCMP issue a follow-up for non-payment, it can get pricey.
RCMP interim Staff Sergeant Rocky Calhoun said he was happy with Monday night’s meeting and that residents seem relieved that arrests have been made and that the sharp rise in break and enters has been curbed.
Three people have been charged in connection to break and enters that took place in Round Hill and Middleton. Other arrests have also been made public and the residents seem satisfied that the police are working on their behalf.
“It was very positive,” he said. “This time there were no concerns about police visibility.”
Sgt. Calhoun said two follow-up crime prevention clinics were held this month in Middleton to help residents learn how to better protect themselves and their properties. Two further lock-it-up clinics were to take place in Nictaux this month, but have since been postponed until March.
Sgt. Calhoun said they want to reorganize the clinics and make them a little more practical for residents. Once the clinics have been reformatted, they will return to Nictaux and Middleton. The police are also working on other ways to open communication with the public.
