Recognizing the growing concerns of residents about crime in their neighbourhoods, Councillor Santos launched the Petty Crime Feedback Survey to collect and organize feedback from residents regarding safety concerns within neighbourhoods. Between February 26 and April 3, 2026, submissions were collected from across Brampton, highlighting common concerns such as overnight vehicle door checking and car thefts, garage and home break-ins, porch piracy, vandalism, trespassing, and speeding, among other issues that undermine residents’ sense of safety.
The feedback from residents also identified a gap in police reporting. Many residents shared that they had stopped reporting petty crime as they felt their reports were not taken seriously, citing slow or absent police response and lack of follow-up on submitted reports. Ensuring that these concerns were well documented, Councillor Santos shared these experiences with Peel Regional Police, working to build improved communication between police and the public through more responsive police and stronger community engagement.
Building on this, Councillor Santos hosted a Community Safety Town Hall on April 22, 2026, at the Century Gardens Recreation Centre. The town hall brought Mayor Patrick Brown, Deputy Chief Mark Dapat, Superintendent Harry Dhillion, Peel Regional Police officers, and the City’s Community Safety & Well-Being Office together with residents for further unpack local safety concerns, priorities and action. During this meeting, Mayor Brown and Councillor Santos outlined the following initiatives the City has begun to take in response to resident concerns.
- Police Hiring – The City has hired approximately 800 new police officers this term.
- 9-1-1 Response Times – Average wait times have been reduced from 3 minutes to 5 seconds through staffing increases and diversion of non-emergency calls.
- Auto Thefts – Following advocacy pushing for cargo scanners at the Port of Montreal and greater coordinated police responses, there has been a 50% reduction in auto thefts.
- Camera Networks – High-resolution 360-degree cameras are being installed at major intersections city-wide to assist police investigations, and approximately 200 decommissioned speed cameras are being repurposed for police use.
- Drone Program – The City is pursuing a drone program for suspect pursuit, modelled on programs used in U.S. cities.
At this town hall, Peel Regional Police also highlighted tools such as the updated dedicated online reporting bureau, the Road Watch portal, Crime Stoppers, and crime prevention outreach, while also promising improved follow-up for residents.
“Residents have expressed that some of their local neighourhood concerns such as car checking, porch piracy, and break and enters are being brushed off when calling the non-emergency number. Many simply have given up on reporting such incidents. Police confirmed that this is not how residents should feel. While resources are prioritized to address violent crime, all residents who report an incident should be treated with respect and feel heard, with a response and follow-up. I am so pleased that at the townhall, this was acknowledged and Police committed to improving this experience for residents.”
– Rowena Santos, Regional Councillor, Wards 1 & 5 Brampton
Following this town hall, on April 24, Councillor Santos summarized the concerns brought forth by residents through the Petty Crime Community Feedback Report and Townhall, at the Peel Police Service Board. During this meeting, she highlighted the importance of strengthening the connections between Peel Regional Police and residents, while also advocating for greater public awareness of existing available resources and initiatives, like the Crime Prevention Academy.
Video: Councillor Rowena Santos bringing forth community concerns during a Peel Police Service Board meeting.
As part of the ongoing conversation about improving communication between police and residents, Councillor Santos highlighted the concerns residents have been sharing about reporting non-emergency crimes in another follow-up meeting in May 2026 meeting with Peel Regional Police, based on specific action items coming from the Police Service Board meeting. Councillor Santos re-emphasized residents’ experiences where they felt overlooked by call-takers, and incidents where officers did not follow up.
As part of this one-on-one meeting at Police Headquarters, the importance of the online reporting tool was also discussed, and the following key features were highlighted as improvements for facilitating communication with residents.
- Auto-generated incident numbers.
- Image and video upload capabilities.
- Dedicated review routing.
- A structured 30-day follow-up process to ensure residents are kept informed.
During this meeting, the work done to address operational safety concerns in the downtown core near the 7-Eleven area was acknowledged as a successful improvement following enforcement actions. Councillor Santos raised the additional concerns residents have shared about open drug use and criminal activities beneath the Nelson Street bridge and Zum Bus Shelter. Police confirmed that they will be focusing on enforcement together with Brampton Security Services, and an onsite meeting is scheduled with Brampton Transit and City Security to look at improvements that will strengthen safety at this location.
Councillor Santos continues to advocate for better public education and accessibility to report crimes, including multilingual 9-1-1 misuse materials, printed resources for seniors, and clearer pathways for residents to share information with police. Councillor Santos and the City of Brampton continue to be committed to ensuring that residents’ sense of safety improves, working towards building a more proactive, responsive, and safer security network that accommodates our growing city’s needs.
