Pubdate: Sat, 22 Jun 2002
Source: Burnaby Newsleader (CN BC)
Copyright: 2002 Burnaby Newsleader
Contact:  http://www.burnabynewsleader.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1315
Author: Michael McQuillan

EYES ON CRIME

Const. Josh Mohanraj looks at a beautifully treed landscape surrounding an 
apartment complex and sees trouble where others might see serenity.

Trees, bushes and hedges may be dominant features in West Coast 
landscaping, but they also serve as useful concealment for those interested 
in committing crimes, says Mohanraj, a neighbourhood liaison officer 
serving the Lougheed Mall area.

Driving around in his RCMP squad car, he points out numerous multi-family 
complexes where the properties are in need of tree trimming, hedge pruning 
or bush whacking. For example, on the west side of Cameron Road elementary 
school, a long hedge towering more than 25 feet serves as perfect 
camouflage for those interested in stealing cars, robbing individuals or 
breaking and entering.

The hedge needs to be trimmed down so local apartment owners on the west 
side can peer over to the other side. At the base of the hedge it should be 
trimmed up three feet so one could see if there's someone standing on the 
other side. Finally, the bushes must be thinned so people can see through it.

"I've already talked to the strata council about this and they haven't done 
anything yet so I guess we'll have to talk again," says Mohanraj. He turns 
his squad car around in the school's parking lot, which borders the giant 
hedge. At night, apartment residents use the lot for parking. "If there 
were to be auto theft at night, this is a place where it would likely occur."

So just why has Mohanraj, the Lougheed Community Police Office and the 
Burnaby RCMP become so particular about the height of hedges, the thickness 
of bushes and other landscape matters?

Because SkyTrain is coming.

With SkyTrain comes the potential for crime.

Criminals like the transit system because it allows them transportation 
throughout the region. They can hop off a SkyTrain car, commit a crime and 
be back on the line in less than an hour.

Stations are also ideal locations for selling drugs and other contraband. 
Like a successful hotdog vendor, drug dealers make more money in high 
traffic areas.

Those living in the vicinity of the Metrotown SkyTrain station three years 
ago know all about the correlation between SkyTrain and crime. Residents 
couldn't walk to the station without being accosted by half a dozen drug 
dealers selling crack cocaine. Users also flocked to the neighbourhood. 
Drug deals were often made in people's yards and it wasn't uncommon to 
witness a user getting high. When users couldn't afford a $10 rock of crack 
cocaine, they would either shoplift in the Metrotown Mall or commit break 
and enters in the neighbourhood to make a quick buck.

Gary Wesa, the BlockWatch captain for the Metrotown neighbourhood in 1999, 
told the NewsLeader three year ago it was like being under siege. No matter 
what police and residents did, drug dealers and users keep coming back. 
"Sometimes it feels like a war zone," he said at the time.

Today there still is the odd drug dealer around the Metrotown station but 
their numbers are a fraction of what they once were. What's made a 
difference are the residents, RCMP, City of Burnaby and other agencies 
teaming up to drive the users and dealers away.

The Expo line, with three stops in Burnaby, did not go through the rigors 
of Crime Prevention through Environmental Design (CPTED), says Mohanraj. 
Station security was an afterthought. Nearby neighbourhoods were not 
consulted on crime prevention issues to the extent they are today.

As a result, police and residents were forced to react to the crime 
problem. There was very little proactive planning prior to the Expo line 
completion. Things are different for the Millennium line.

It will be well staffed with SkyTrain security when it opens Aug. 31. In 
addition, RCMP will have a heightened presence. Security from both Lougheed 
and Brentwood malls will also be on the ready.

The plan behind all this law enforcement and security is to make sure 
potential criminals don't feel welcome in the area when the line first 
opens up. Special projects will be carried out promptly if police detect 
certain types of crime are more prevalent.

SkyTrain has the potential to bring crime in to an area, says Mohanraj, who 
specializes in CPTED. Crime can be vastly decreased around a station if the 
neighbourhood and local businesses takes preventative action, like 
eliminating concealment areas, getting rid of graffiti quickly, cautioning 
local youth about hanging around stations and everyone keeping a watchful 
eye out for strangers.

Mohanraj calls it "taking ownership" where the community gets involved in 
it's own community policing. After all, he says, the RCMP can't do everything.

"We've got limited manpower. We're doing drugs (enforcement), plain-clothes 
investigation and a lot of other things, plus community policing. That's 
why the community has to take ownership," he says.

In the local schools, students are told to keep away from stations unless 
they're traveling on SkyTrain. School administration and police do not want 
the platforms to become hangouts.

One officer at the Lougheed Mall community police office has been assigned 
the task of graffiti removal. He works on educating businesses on the 
"broken window theory." That is, if a window is broken or graffiti is put 
up at your business, it must be fixed or removed right away. Not doing so 
invites more vandalism.

Residents near the station are now being asked to challenge strangers. "If 
they see someone they don't recognize, that they've never seen before, we 
want them to ask them what they're doing here, says Mohanraj.

BlockWatch membership has dramatically increased on Horne Street, located 
to the south of the Lougheed SkyTrain station. "The feeling is that 
criminals are just going to use SkyTrain to get around," said BlockWatch 
captain Annemarie Budau. "By joining they feel a sense of community, that 
everyone is looking out for each other."

In Budau's strata building they've made a number of changes to increase 
security. Many blind spots behind shrubbery have been reduced or 
eliminated, lighting has increased in specific areas, and tenants on the 
ground floor have been given tips on security.

"People that are worried about SkyTrain are also welcoming it too. But it's 
a double-edged sword. It's important for us to try and make a difference 
together," says Buda.

"Everyone is hoping that by getting involved and doing something we won't 
have the same levels of crime they had when there was a problem at Metrotown."
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