The next step

The city’s crime prevention council is looking to move ahead with its strategy after a meeting Wednesday.

The council has a draft community safety and crime prevention strategy ready for approval. Council co-ordinator Amy Siciliano said three areas of focus have been cited.

One area is communication and education. The city needs to communicate better with the public about crime and the context surrounding it. When people read headlines, they can often jump to conclusions about crime in the city even though all data points to a long-term decline in Thunder Bay’s crime rate.

"It’s painting a better picture or a more comprehensive picture of crime so it’s not just a number or a stat but actually a story behind what’s happening in the city," Siciliano said.

"We know that we need to have tools in place that engage the public to better communicate what’s actually happening in the city so that we can start tackling some of the myths and misperceptions about crime in the city … myths and misperceptions are based on incomplete information."

That can happen through social media and public forums to get dialogue going about crime in the city.

Education can also help. Siciliano said discussions around a proposed youth curfew were curbed by educating the public that research proved such a move to be ineffective.

While crime may be dropping in the city, some areas experience higher rates than others.

Siciliano said she believes that focusing on building stronger neighbourhoods will also be a focus of the strategy.

Part of that can be done by supporting the city’s recently approved drug strategy. Social issues like substance abuse can go a long way to provide context for crime.

"Particularly those that we know influence crime rates in the city," she said.

Once approved, Siciliano said the council will take the strategy and refine it before bringing it to city council and the public for feedback.

The crime prevention council is also looking for an acting co-ordinator while Siciliano goes on maternity leave August 19. The position will be posted Saturday.