Following a packed Community Safety Town Hall in Wards 1 & 5, Councillor Santos is taking your feedback directly to the Peel Police Services Board on Friday, April 24. Concerns raised, solutions proposed, and gaps identified will being formally presented to the Peel Police Services Board to push for accountability and action. This includes recent feedback from our Petty Crime Survey.
The townhall formal was all about listening. Residents shared their concerns on post-it notes, asked questions directly, and proposed solutions in real time. Here’s what was shared:
What residents raised most:
Overnight car door checks are being captured on cameras across multiple neighbourhoods, but residents feel powerless when reports don’t lead to follow-up. Porch piracy, speeding on residential streets, fraud targeting seniors, and youth safety after the Weybridge Trail shooting were also front and centre.
A recurring theme was trust. Only 1 in 5 petty crime survey respondents actually reported incidents to police, mostly because they felt nothing would come of it. That frustration was echoed throughout the room.
What police committed to:
Deputy Chief Dapat and Superintendent Harry Dhillon were candid, acknowledging the follow-up gap and committed to building it out through a new online reporting bureau with dedicated staff providing callbacks and case updates. Officers also walked residents through tools many didn’t know existed: the online reporting portal at peelpolice.ca, the Road Watch program for traffic complaints, Crime Stoppers for anonymous tips, and the crime mapping tool to track incidents in your neighbourhood.
Where the city is making progress:
Mayor Brown shared some significant milestones including approximately 800 new officers hired in the past few years, 911 wait times down from 3 minutes to 5 seconds, auto thefts reduced by 50%, and high-resolution cameras now live at major intersections. Bail reform and lawful access legislation are advancing at the federal level, and the city is pursuing drone technology for policing, a first in Canada.
On the municipal side, the 311 system is getting a complete overhaul with Amazon-style status tracking for service requests, launching in September. Speed camera advocacy continues at the provincial level, and stop-arm cameras for school buses are being explored.
What you can do:
Lock your cars. Report everything, even petty crime, through the online reporting tool or Crime Stoppers. Get to know your neighbours. And consider forming a neighbourhood association, which only takes 20 signatures from neighbours. You can access grants of up to $2,000 for community safety and engagement initiatives.
Findings from the town hall are being presented to the Peel Police Services Board. Your voice helps drive action.
