Neighbourhood Watch Works!
Email your Neighbourhood Watch success story to neighbourhoodwatch@ottawapolice.ca.
Certificate of Merit Presented to Neighbourhood Watch Member
Every year, many people assist the Police Service and the community, with no thought of recognition. Many members of the Ottawa Police Service also perform deeds in aid of the community, whether on or off duty, that do not fall within their normal job functions.
The Certificate of Merit is presented to a member of the public or the Police Service, by the Police Services Board and the Chief of Police, in recognition of outstanding service to the Ottawa Police Service and the community.
The people being recognized at the Community Police Awards ceremony are but a few of those who deserve the sincere appreciation of the Ottawa Police Service and our community.
In June 2003, a local resident was killed in his Centretown apartment and his vehicle was missing. Acting on behalf of Neighbourhood Watch for Michelle Heights, a number of days later, a Neighbourhood Watch member called Ottawa Police regarding a suspicious PT Cruiser parked in front of his home.
Communications Centre clerks had heard that the investigators were looking for a PT Cruiser belonging to the murder victim. Further investigation revealed that this was the murder victim's vehicle. The Major Crime Section was able to immediately set up surveillance on the vehicle and later identify the driver to be the accused.
By acting on his concerns, the community member demonstrated that crime prevention programs, such as Neighbourhood Watch, do work and do result in justice being served.
The Ottawa Police Service Communications Centre clerks were commended for their attention to detail. By working together for a safer community, the Neighbourhood Watch members' information and the actions of the Communications Centre clerks assisted in this crime being solved quickly.
Neighbourhood Watch is a program to help neighbours watch out for neighbours. Its purpose is to get citizens involved in discouraging and preventing crime at the local level. The ultimate success of Neighbourhood Watch depends largely on a commitment to cooperate between area residents and the police - and, more importantly, between residents themselves. By simply getting to know the neighbours around them, local residents are well positioned to recognize someone or something that is suspicious.
The Certificate of Merit was presented to the Neighbourhood Watch member for his keen eye and quick action - proving that Neighbourhood Watch works!
Excerpt from Community Police Awards Ceremony, May 13, 2004, Ottawa City Hall
Neighbourhood Watch groups help police identify marijuana grow houses in our community
A good example of how Neighbourhood Watch can work for the community occurred in May 2003 in Riverside Park West. Due to the diligent observations of Neighbourhood Watch members, a marijuana grow house, literally right under our noses, was uncovered and raided by police.
The house had been sold in the fall and throughout the winter the surrounding neighbours had noticed that no big move into the house had taken place. There wasn't the "normal" pattern or presence of people living in the house. Suspicions were raised and vehicle plates and descriptions were recorded. A call to the Community Police Centre prompted the contact with the drug squad and within a couple of days all suspicions and fears were confirmed. The rest was up to the police to handle.
Public education is key in helping law enforcement. The more active a Neighbourhood Watch is, the more difficult it will be for these growers to become established. More Neighbourhood Watches need to be started up. As the eyes and ears of the community, a connective, communicative Neighbourhood Watch can be of tremendous support to police services and to each other.
Submitted by the Neighbourhood Watch coordinator of Riverside Park West.