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WHITBY FREE PRESS, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 26,1987, PAGE 19 Neihborhood Watch: helping residents feel safer By JANET BROWNE Members of certain communities scattered across Whitby are taking the time to look out for one another. "Every time I come in from somewhere, I look at other houses to see if there is anything strange going on," says Mima Bianco, block captain of one of the Neigh- borhood Watch programs on-her side of Powell St. in the Italian community in east .,Whitby. "Before, I didn't even think about it.i And since Neighborhood Watch was launched in ber community last December, Bianco reports that the whole street has shown a much more vested interest in the protection of property, and the fight against crime. "Before, we never thought it could happen to us," Bianco says, referring to a burglary which took place at the home directly across the road. "Now, I tell the neighbors to be alert, especially if they don't work, and have time to look around. Now every little thing I see, I think, 'Hey, maybe this is something.' " Although no infamous criminals have been brought down because of the community's involvement in minimizing crime, the program in Bianco's neighborhood bas helped police apprehend a drunk and a substance abuser. And it has made the community feel a bit safer. Approximately 15 per cent of homes in Whitby are part of the program which began in 1984, ac- cording to Neighborhood Watch co- ordinator for Durham Region, Kristina McCann. "We don't put a program in a community just because people want one," she says. "It's only for areas with a genuine crime problem." McCann is a civilian who works in conjunction with the police department, and is responsible for making the co-ordinators in each of the involved-, neighborhoods in Whitby aware of any crime that has taken place in their area. From there, each of the co-ordinators repeats the message to the block captains who in turn warn a mem- GENEALOGICAL MEETING The Whitby-Oshawa Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society (Durham Region) will hold its next meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 8 from 7:15 - 10 p.m. in the auditorium of the Whitby Public Library, at 405 Dundas St. W. Guest speaker Dorothy Martin will discuss 'How and where to research your family,' also how to organize and record this information. Meetings are free and open to the public. For further information call Steve Wood at 668-1362 or Janis Richar- dson at 985-9086. DUPLICATE BRIDGE The Whitby Duplicate Bridge Club will be holding a "Get acquainted with duplicate" night on Wednesday, Sept. 2 at the Regal Room at the Centennial Building, 416 Centre St., at 7:15 p.m. A short period of instruction will be followed witb an evening of play. Admission is free. For more infor- mation, call Irene Ketchell (668- 9997) or Phyllis Magvas (668-1069). AUTUMN ODYSSEY A fashion production, "Autumn Odyssey," will be held at Oshawa Little Theatre, 62 Russett Ave., 7 p.m., Aug. 26. The show, to include Oshawa models and fashions from various Durbam Region retailers, will cost $5, with tickets available at Garbo's Boutique and Norma Peterson in Whitby. Proceeds go to the Christopher Robin Home for Children. MIMA BIANCO is captain of a neigh- Whitby community. borhood Watch program in an East Free Press photo ber from each household in their section of the block of the crime that occurred. "The goal of the program is to encourage citizens to adopt an ac- tive interest in protecting neigh- bors property as well as their own," says McCann. In a yearly newslet- ter that goes out to all members, suggestions on how to deter criminals from robbery or any other crimes are mentioned. "A 40-watt bulb left on for 10 hours a day is only 55 cents on a monthly hydro bill and is pretty cheap security," she says, adding that this procedure is particularly effective for ravine lots which are "easily accessable" to house thieves. During the daytime, it is a com- mon misconception that criminals are not up and around, and leave the thieving until it gets dark, but McCann points out that this is not always the case, and Neighborhood Watch members should be par- ticularly alert. "There's a lot more break and enters during the daytime than people realize," she says. In one in- stance, during a two-day period, five burglaries and one attempt oc- curred between 10 and 11 a.m. "The unfortunate thing is that (the burglars) have now become much more sophisticated," she says, explaining that thieves can- vass an area long enough before a burglary to know when the oc- cupants are out, and what their daily routines are. One incident which supports the success of a program occurred last year while McCann attended a Neighborhood Watch seminar in North York. A 'reformed' thief, part of a panel of guests, was asked by a member of the audience whether or not he consciously avoided areas protected under the COMING EVENTS FAMILY SUPPORT support group on Wednesday, Sept. (Building 27), Gordon St. in Whitby. The Alzheimer Society of 2 at 2 p.m. in the Gold Room of For more information, call 576- Durham Region offers a family Whitby Psychiatrie Hospital 2567. 1~~*~ LA LECHE LA LECHE The local chapter of La Leche League International, a nursing mothers support group, will hold its monthly meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 2, starting at 7 p.m. The topie of discussion will be "Advantages of Breast Feeding.' For more in- formation call 728-6890. THRESHING DAYS Uxbridge Township's annual Steam Threshing Days will be held Saturday, Aug. 29. Broadcaster- writer Mike Filey will begin the showat2:30 p.m. Neighborhood Watch program. He answered that if he walked through any community and was not ap- proached and asked what he was up to, he would consider that neigh- borhood "fair game." Otherwise, he would look elsewhere. "We're not encouraging people to be nosy," explains McCann, "just to be actively -interested in who their neighbors are, what their cars look like, how many teenagers they have. No amount of policing can of- fset what the public can do. You know who belongs in your neigh- borhood more than a police car cruising through." Another way of reducing theft of property is for homeowners to par- ticipate in "operation iden- tification," a program whereby a licence plate number is engraved on the back of items such as VCR's and microwaves, two of the most popular items of thieves, for easier identification of stolen goods. Anita Sturgess is co-ordinator for the Neighborhood Watch program in the east Whitby division, and is responsible for the program in- volving 150 houses. "We have had suspicious persons reported and apprehended," says Sturgess who the program has been a success. She says people are also more aware now when neighbors go out of town, and a close eye is kept on these homes, and their mail is picked up for them. "A lot has happened in Whitby, and it seems to stop right at our doorstep," she says, adding that there have been "numerous" break-ins and sexual assaults in the surrounding areas. "We're just for- tunate that nothing like this has happened in our area. "You have to get to know the out- door living habits of your neigh- bot-s." She suggests that use of engraving pens on possessions, lock upgrading, secure patio doors, "andget a good watch dog." Sturgess admits that there is an added "element of fear" in some parts of her watch because of the value of homes that are often custom-built.