Lack of resources, inspector says
Sep 25, 2008 - 03:10 PM
By Keith Gilligan
AJAX -- Several vehicles were broken into in a north Ajax neighbourhood early Tuesday morning and one lady is upset at the police response.
Shelley Ferron said cars in her driveway and those of two neighbours were vandalized, as were some vehicles on nearby streets.
"My car was broken into and my husband's car was stolen," she said.
Her husband works for a pharmaceutical company and there were drugs in his vehicle. "There's nothing to get high on," she said, adding the medicine includes items to treat eczema.
"No car alarms went off," Ms. Ferron said. "I call the police, but no one came. They took a report over the phone. They said they'd send someone over to do fingerprinting and no one came."
She called the police at 9 a.m. about the break-ins, she said. At 9 p.m., she called police again and asked to speak with a supervisor. Ms. Ferron was told only two to three officers qualified to gather fingerprints are on shift.
"They said they'd send someone out if we wanted, but they didn't come," she said.
"There's more demand for SOCO (Scenes of Crime Officers) than we have on duty. We have to prioritize them. A home break-in is more of a priority than a car," said Durham Regional Police Inspector Steve Ross, the top officer at the Ajax-Pickering station.
"Unless there's specific evidence, generally we don't send them to those incidents," he said. "Unless there is forensic evidence there to collect, we just don't have the resources to send to every incident. We have to prioritize."
"These car entries are a problem to everyone," he said. "We try to educate the public on these things."
Using the axiom that "an ounce prevention is worth a pound of cure," Insp. Ross said people can take measures to prevent theft. "If possible, lock your car in the garage. If not, make sure it's locked."
Also, leave a light on or have a motion detector installed. "Don't leave anything of value in the vehicle, especially wallets or any ID. Don't leave those things in the car overnight."
Recommend :
Latest News
Police kill man after he stabs woman to death, injures children
OSHAWA -- A birthday party in a south Oshawa townhouse turned violent when a man stabbed a woman to death and slashed at two young children, police said.Both of the children,...
Total Hockey's price included McFarlane's servicesCLARINGTON -- The $225,000 paid for the Total Hockey collection included three years of service from Peter Puck creator Brian McFarlane, including use of his time and contacts...
Major snowstorm possible late Sunday, early MondayDURHAM -- A weather system brewing in the Gulf of Mexico could bring a blast of winter to southern Ontario and possibly up to 20 centimetres of snowfall depending on the track...
New director for police services boardDURHAM -- A long-time civil servant with an extensive background in justice and policing issues has been hired as the new executive director of Durham's police services ...
Orr what a nightOSHAWA -- The cheers that bounced off the walls of the General Motors Centre last night were as loud as they were deserving.One of the greatest players in the history of ...
Ajax Pickering Board of Trade sees opportunity for success storiesAJAX-PICKERING -- The Ajax-Pickering Board of Trade identified positive steps being considered by the Federal Government as plans for the 2009 budget were discussed in Finance...
Creating jobs and helping healthPICKERING -- Fifty-three, high-value jobs coming to a local pharmaceutical company will help lead the world in the knowledge economy of the 21st century, Ontario's Premier ...
Region has template for growthDURHAM -- The Region now has a plan on how to accommodate 373,000 new residents slated to move to Durham in the next 25 years. And with input from the public, it will be up ...
Man stabbed in robbery attemptOSHAWA -- A man sustained a stab wound to his neck in what police are describing as a robbery attempt in downtown Oshawa Tuesday. The 18-year-old victim told cops he was with ...
Murder message loud and clear: witnessWHITBY -- The words "Kill Frank Lenti" were never uttered, but a police agent got the message that he was being dispatched to murder a Hells Angels enemy, a jury has...