The community: Eyes and ears for police

When the public work with the police, anything is possible.

During the third week of September, there were two police reported incidents involving firearms. Although firearms are not common in Windsor, police say there are still plenty of things you can do to help prevent these sorts of crimes from occurring.

John Massod has at a convenience store in Tecumseh for around eight years. Massod said that robberies happen everywhere and sometimes even in his store. When dealing with situations like this, Massod said he tends to stick to his own methods rather than contact any emergency services for help.

“I deal with it myself it’s not a big deal. If you are hungry or you need something, I say, ‘ask before you steal’.” said Massod.

Although Massod can deal with these minor thefts, he said anyone who comes in and threatens him or any other member of staff with weapons are immediately reported. If for any reason their call cannot be done over the phone, there is a button located under the counter designed specifically for serious situations they are stuck in.

Sergeant Stephen Betteridge is Windsor’s public information officer for the Windsor Police Services. Betteridge has been a police officer for more than 25 years. He said firearm incidents are not ones that occur regularly, but when they do the response is not taken lightly.

“Firearm offences are rare, they come in waves just like everything else does. There is not always a rhyme or reason,” said Betteridge. “The great part is that our community does a fantastic job of contacting us in an emergency.”

Betteridge also said one of the best ways to keep our community safe is to keep strong communication between the public and officers. No one should be afraid to report a crime, especially if they are a victim. There are now more ways than ever to report a crime whether you give your name or do it anonymously.

“The goal is always communicating. Safety and working hand in hand with the public to get information to our officers, to work and to be able to do our jobs,” said Betteridge. “Any case involving violence or the use of weapon, including a firearm is a very serious incident for our entire community.”

Between September 13 and September 27, 2019 Windsor police responded to a total of 71 crime related incidents in the downtown area. Four of these crimes were violent crimes, 49 of them were property related crimes and 18 of them were crimes that had an impact on people’s quality of life, such as being drunk and disorderly.

Betteridge said most of their insights come from members of the public and any reports made are helpful no matter how much information is being provided.

“We value the great relationship with our community and our community has the trust in our service that if they report something, it will be professionally investigated,” said Betteridge. “The community are the eyes and ears for the police.”