Crime is a plague on Thunder Bay, but it’s part of a much larger problem, says third-time mayoral candidate Frank Pullia.
It’s the source of the problem that needs to be tackled, he said. Not treating the underlying social issues like alcohol addiction, substance abuse, poverty, homelessness and mental illness, will only continue the vicious circle that leads people into a life of crime and has many Thunder Bay voters afraid for their safety.
It’s the lack of access to proper treatment that has Pullia most worried.
"The cell blocks are full by 3 a.m. on a Friday night and half of those people do not belong there. In many cases they are also using up the resources of the paramedics and of the hospital emergency rooms," Pullia said.
While overall crime rates have dropped in the city in recent years, Thunder Bay remains above the national curve in its police-reported crime severity index scores, which assigns a weight to each crime through the sentence imposed by the courts.
Thunder Bay scored 136 on the violent crime severity index in 2009, up 17 per cent over the year prior, and 110.3 on the total crime severity index, up three per cent.
Pullia said the city needs a comprehensive approach to the problem, one that brings together government, social agencies and the legal system.
"For example, we need the province to provide more beds for addiction related treatment and the legal system to offer a speedier process in the courts, as many police resources are being tied up in lengthy court proceedings. Police resources could then be deployed more effectively in keeping the community safe from real crime."
Jeff Irwin blames the economic downturn, which he says pushes people on the edge to commit crimes they normally wouldn’t commit.
It doesn’t help, he added, when the chief of police declares the city safe and the majority of his officers disagree.
"Rather than a top-down approach, perhaps a bottom-up solution from the men and women who are on the front lines needs to be adopted," Irwin said.
Brian Kwasny, a first-time candidate, disagreed.
"Crime in Thunder Bay does not concern Thunder Bay police. They are more interested in their coffee breaks than solving crime," Kwasny said, offering no solution to the problem.
Mayor Lynn Peterson countered, saying the city’s police officers are doing a great job trying to make residents feel safe in their homes.
"We need to continue to support them and to work on strategies to address crime and crime prevention," she said. "We have established a crime prevention council, led by the city, that includes multiple service providers and agencies to tackle the issues that drive crime," Peterson said.
"This is a community problem and requires a community response. It will take focus, time and much work, but it is vital."
Colin Burridge, another political neophyte seeking the city’s top elected job, said he sees misplaced resources when he looks at the police department.
"When we need the police, on evenings and weekends, there aren’t any," he said during a recent candidates’ forum. "They’re all on daytime (shifts). Why?"
Former police association president Keith Hobbs said to his surprise crime is second highest on the list of electorate concerns, trailing taxation.
Hobbs, who a year ago took a well-publicized stance on crime, countering Police Chief Bob Herman’s statements that the city is getting safer, said the public is fed up with endless talk and inaction when it comes to crime in Thunder Bay.
He said the current council did nothing to tackle the issue and promised to fight for the return of neighbourhood policing, neighbourhood watch, block parents and the formation citizen’s patrols if he's elected.
"Bring all of those prevenative programs back. Get the citizens volunteering. Get them involved. It's their community at stake and we all need to work together to do this. This problem was brought up 12 years ago by myself. It was brought up six years ago and it was brought up a year ago.
"I am really disheartened that so many people have been victimized because of inaction," Hobbs said.
This is the second of four planned articles on specific local issues and how the six mayoral candidates plan to deal with them if elected. Answers were drawn from interviews, via email and from the candidates' forum at the Lakehead Labour Centre. Still to come are answers on Horizon Wind's planned turbine farm and city spending.
