neighbourhood, allowing them to contact home or business owners more quickly to access the footage when investigating crimes in the area. Proactively creating a safer community may start with in- dividuals securing their prop- erty, setting up and registering their cameras, and reporting crimes when they happen. But it doesn’t stop there. Communi - ty safety is also about looking out for one another.
Looking After Each Other It starts with a porch light left on, a neighbour who waves hel - lo, and a street where people know each other’s names. Safe - ty isn’t just about locks and alarms—it’s about connection. As break-ins become more common across many areas of London and perpetrators grow bolder, residents need simple, effective ways to protect their homes and watch out for one another. In February 2025, the London Police Services (LPS) issued a pub - lic safety advisory about a series of break-ins at unoccupied homes around the city, including residences in Byron and Riverbend. Five reported incidents revealed the same pattern: A vehicle pulled up to a home, a lone male wearing a high-visibility vest approached and knocked on the front door. When there was no response, additional suspects exited the vehicle and forced their way into the house. (LPS Public Safety Warning, LPS Facebook: posted on February 7, 2025). In recent months, the Riverbend Community Facebook group has seen an uptick in posts with videos of break-ins happening in the area. However, the public crime map on the LPS website does not reflect the same level of criminal activity in the area because people are not reporting these crimes to the police. No matter how minor the crime seems, reporting it plays a cru- cial role in community safety and crime prevention. “Reporting every incident helps us identify patterns, connect cases, and allocate resources where they are needed most,” explains Constable Riley Morrow of the Community-Oriented Response Unit with the LPS. When crimes go unreported, police remain unaware of the prob- lem and cannot deploy additional resources to address it. As Riley explains, when multiple reports demonstrate increased criminal activity in a particular area, London Police crime an - alysts can establish a “hotspot” for focused patrols, increasing visibility and reducing opportunities for crime. Another compelling, but less obvious, reason for reporting any crime, even if nothing of value was stolen, is that it may help to connect to other crimes in a specific area and provide essential evidence. The LPS CAMSafe program is a free online camera registry system that helps police identify where the cameras are in a
Say hello to your neighbours, notice what cars they drive, and what their routines are. Be aware of what’s going on around you. Notice unfamiliar individuals wandering along your street, or any- one knocking randomly on doors. Share information about sus - picious activities with your neighbours to create a more alert and watchful community. Consider becoming a Neighbourhood Watch Area. Eyes on By - ron is one such group that looks after each other by identifying and reporting suspicious activity in their neighbourhoods and to LPS when required. Making our neighbourhoods safer improves the quality of life for everyone. Looking out for each other and reporting criminal activity is the best way to achieve that. For more information, visit the London Police Services at www. londonpolice.ca or follow LPS on Facebook.
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Riverbend Villager December 2025
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