Saskatoon community association calling on police for assistance following string of harassment incidents
Following a two-day stretch in October where residents reported being followed and harassed by strangers in the Caswell Hill neighbourhood, the community association is drawing the attention of police for help.
“We wanted to let police know that there were three incidents within two days and it’s not just the usual stuff that you see sometimes, like property crime and broken windows,” said Ian Roach, public safety coordinator with the Caswell Hill Community Association.
On Oct. 21 and 22, residents in the Caswell Hill community Facebook group posted three different instances where they were followed, chased, yelled at and harassed by strangers while out and about in the area.
“These are incidents where people felt they were unsafe or felt they were deliberately followed either on vehicle or on bicycle,” Roach said.
These incidents prompted the community association to write a letter to the Board of Police Commissioner’s, bringing it to the attention of the Saskatoon Police Service (SPS).
“To have three in two days, people should feel safe walking around their community, if there’s a problem like this we should alert the police and make sure these incidents get reported and then police can respond, whether it’s increased patrols or whatever they do to respond,” Roach told CTV News.
During the Board of Police Commissioner’s meeting on Thursday, police chief Troy Cooper said it’s likely these incidents weren’t reported to police, but SPS is working with the community association to learn more about these incidents and take a proactive approach to ensure people are safe when out in the community.
“They are concerning incidents of harassment or discomfort in the neighbourhood,” Cooper said. “We’re also going to be able to examine these specific offences and adjust resources with proactive policing measures.”
Roach said these types of harassment cases are rare in Caswell Hill, but feels underlying issues around homelessness, addictions and mental health are driving this.
“As we have less light and more darkness it’s scary, people should feel comfortable walking their dogs, being out in the community and that’s our priority to make sure Caswell could be a safer place for our families who live here,” Roach said.
Cooper noted in the meeting how overall property crime and crimes against people are on a downward trend, despite the emergence of these complaints.
So far in 2021, Cooper says police have recorded 333 property crimes, which is down from the five-year average of 451 property crimes per year. For crimes committed against a person, police have recorded 84 crimes so far, while the five-year average is 88.
“Although these are concerning issues we do also see crime and reported crime trending in the right direction,” Cooper said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Couple randomly attacked, 1 stabbed, by group of teens in Toronto, police say
A man has been transported to hospital after police say he was stabbed in a random attack carried out by a group of teens in Toronto on Friday night.
Ron Ellis, who played over 1,000 games with Maple Leafs, dead at 79
Ron Ellis, who played over 1,000 games with the Toronto Maple Leafs and was a member of Canada's team at the 1972 Summit Series, has died at age 79.
Fort Nelson, B.C., wildfire doubles in size as 3,000-plus ordered to evacuate
The wildfire that sparked Friday and caused evacuation orders for more than 3,000 people in Fort Nelson, B.C., and the nearby Fort Nelson First Nation, has grown to nearly 1,700 hectares in size, according to a Saturday morning update from the BC Wildfire Service.
Dutch contestant kicked out of Eurovision hours before tension-plagued song contest final
Hours before the final, Dutch contestant Joost Klein was dramatically booted out by organizers over a backstage incident. He had failed to perform at two dress rehearsals on Friday, and contest organizer the European Broadcasting Union said it was investigating an "incident."
IN PHOTOS Northern lights dance across the night sky in southern Ont.
From London, to Mildmay, Collingwood and St. Thomas, here are some highlights of Friday night and Saturday morning's northern lights display.
Haitians demand the resignation and arrest of the country's police chief after a new gang attack
A growing number of civilians and police officers are demanding the dismissal and arrest of Haiti's police chief as heavily armed gangs launched a new attack in the capital of Port-au-Prince, seizing control of yet another police station early Saturday.
opinion How to use your credit card as a powerful wealth-building tool
Irresponsibly using a credit card can land you in financial trouble, but personal finance columnist Christopher Liew says when used properly, it can be a powerful wealth-building tool that can help grow your credit profile and create new opportunities.
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
'We have no judge for you': Man's assault charges dropped weeks before trial due to lack of judges in Toronto
A man who was accused of sexually and physically assaulting a woman had his charges dropped in April, just weeks before he was set to stand trial in Toronto, due to a lack of judges in the region.