Crime prevention starts at home.
The police can’t be everywhere, says Coun. Joe Virdiramo, commenting Wednesday on the importance of the fourth annual Mayor’s Community Safety Awards.
“It’s embracing each other, respecting each other and supporting each other,” said Virdiramo, chairman of the Police Services Board. “That’s how you prevent crime.”
Vidiramo went on to say the city could place police on every corner, but it’s grassroots efforts that will really help the problem disappear.
“We could have hundreds of more officers, but that isn’t going to prevent crime,” he said.
The awards honour members of the public in three categories. There’s the community hero award given to an individual for efforts contributing to a safer community. There’s the young leader award, given to a youth who demonstrates and encourages active participation in community safety. And finally there’s the outstanding community project award, with up to four handed out each year.
Lee-Ann Chevrette, the acting co-ordinator of the city’s crime prevention council, said the awards have showcased plenty of success stories over the years, adding it’s important to celebrate the efforts of individuals and groups to show others what can be done.
“It shows people that those initiatives that others may not think are crime prevention in nature, essentially are,” she said.
Working to make neighbourhoods more inclusive can have positive impacts on the marginalized in our communities, Chevrette said.
Sometimes that’s all it takes to keep someone on the straight and narrow path.
“Those are really important crime prevention initiatives because the more included, the more welcomed and the more respected individuals in our communities feel, the more unlikely they are to cause any harm and the more likely they are to be engaged in positive social activity.”
Nominations for the awards opened on Wednesday, with an Oct. 3 deadline to submit. The crime prevention council and its members will judge the competition. Previous winners are not eligible.
Nomination forms are available online at www.thunderbay.ca/crimeprevention.
