Nicholas Hillier on Crime

Happy City: The city has formed a committee and is currently asking the public for its ideas to help prevent crime and violence. What are some key measures would you like to see implemented, especially in Ward 4, and who do you see as the key people, community groups, and organizations to work with on this issue?

Nicholas Hillier:

Neighbourhood watches are beneficial in helping report suspicious activity, however they aren’t the end to crime in Ward 4. Supporting the formation of these  organizations is something I am willing to do, however, I think we need to prioritize  our partnership with the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary in lowering response  times to reports of crime. In many cases, members of the public fall victim to petty  theft and report that to the RNC, who in most cases have said that they need to  allocate their resources elsewhere and cannot prioritize these types of calls. The  number of cases of people searching through cars, sheds, etc. that are going  unanswered or uninvestigated leaves the public scratching their heads about the  services that are there to protect us against crime. 

I was Co-Chair of the Premier’s Youth Council when we worked closely with the  Premier, Ministers, and relevant departments to consider solutions to domestic  violence. Thankfully, we are on the back side of the Covid-19 pandemic, however, we look back and see how much the pandemic exacerbated the domestic violence crisis in the province. As a city, we must work with organizations that provide safe spaces for victims/survivors of domestic violence. Ensuring that our residents who face situations of domestic violence are taken care of is a responsibility that we cannot take lightly.