Safety advocates are pushing for something of a big-city solution to small-town crime in Flin Flon.
“Right now there’s strong support for getting into security cameras,” says Laurence Gillespie, executive director of Flin Flon Neighbourhood Revitalization Corp.
Gillespie and the FFNRC have been holding regular public meetings to discuss the well-researched concept of crime prevention through environmental design, or CPTED.
The meetings examine possible additions and changes to the community environment that will reduce petty and even serious crime.
Some of the public feedback suggests cameras could curtail illicit behaviour among youth and transients in locations such as the Duck Pond, the 100 Stairs and Main Street.
No decision has been made on whether to go the video surveillance route, though the FFNRC has access to funding for cameras and other CPTED projects.
“The trick is find a system that would be affordable within our budget,” said Gillespie.
Gillespie said it’s his understanding that surveillance cameras are already put to extensive crime-fighting use in The Pas.
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Security cameras are more common in major cities, both to identify unknown criminals and to prevent criminal activity from happening in the first place.
But it’s an open question as to whether they actually deter crime.
A study released by the American Civil Liberties Union found that existing U.K. and U.S. research indicates “strongly that video surveillance has little to no positive impact on crime.”
A 2011 report published by the Urban Institute in the U.S., however, suggests cameras do reduce crime, but not in all locations or contexts, reports the Homeland Security News Wire website.
“To maximize the efficacy of cameras, the report recommended that authorities involve the community to ensure that they understand why the cameras are being put in place,” reports the website, “and to minimize objections, prioritize training for detectives and prosecutors to know how to properly use surveillance footage in cases, and to ensure that cameras feeds are actively monitored.”
Security cameras are already in place at a number of private and public locations in Flin Flon, including retail businesses and Pioneer Square.
Gillespie said the Duck Pond, 100 Stairs and Main Street are three areas that keep coming up in crime-prevention meetings.
He hears reports of drunk people and mischievous youth hanging out at the Duck Pond, harassing the ducks, conducting vandalism and bothering neighbourhood residents.
Gillespie also hears of individuals using the 100 Stairs as a place to drink and possibly use drugs, and as a hangout while they’re under the influence.
Concerns on Main Street have been well-documented, from panhandling and public intoxication to intimidating behaviour.
Questions
Gillespie said there are questions as to whether a certain style of public bench attracts transients on Main Street, and whether a different type of bench is more suitable.
Besides benches and cameras, Gillespie said there has been much discussion over the positive affect of murals.
He pointed to the murals under the Jack Freedman Bridge, partially funded by the FFNRC, which have greatly reduced the amount of graffiti in that area.
Another idea has been to increase lighting in problem areas – “a classic CPTED approach,” Gillespie noted.
Though the FFNRC has not finished its community consultations around CPTED, Gillespie said preliminary results suggest a strong concern around youth.
There is a sense that if youth are not engaged in the community “then that might result in more of a youth crime problem,” he said.
Up to this point the FFNRC has been organizing the CPTED meetings, but Gillespie hopes that with more public participation, an independent committee can be struck in the near future.
“We’re very eager to have more broad-based citizen involvement outside the board of the FFNRC,” he said, adding that individuals who have been attending the meetings “seem keen enough to carry the ball.”
Since volunteer committees are often limited in their capacity, there has been talk of creating a paid, part-time position for someone to focus exclusively on CPTED issues in the community.
“That would really take us to the next level,” said Gillespie, adding that funding for the position could be available as early as next April.
Gillespie invites anyone interested in becoming involved with CPTED initiatives, or the CPTED committee, to contact him at 204-687-6972.
