In 2021 the Toronto police reported that 5,934 crimes had been reported in division 23 (D23) area.
The D23 area includes Thistletown-Beaumond Heights, Humbermede, West Humber-Clairville, Kingsview Village-The Westway, Humber Heights-Westmount, Edenbridge-Humber Valley, Elms-Old Rexdale, Eringate-Centennial-West Deane, Mount Olive-Silverstone-Jamestown, Rexdale-Kipling and Willowridge-Martingrove-Richview.
The news coverage of Rexdale tends to emphasize the community’s crimes such as shootings.
The news coverage of Rexdale poses a question for members of the Rexdale community.
Are the members of this community safe?
The Toronto Police Service collected data from 2021 of the crime occurring in D23.
Only 27.6 per cent of these crimes have been cleared. 72.4 per cent of these crimes are left uncleared.
Emiliano Laing a fourth year student in the University of Guelph-Humber’s justice studies program said, “My key take-away from my studies are two-fold; one that crime doesn’t just happen – it often has a deeper underlying societal cause, such as poverty. Police have an important role to play in identifying repeat offences or offenders and utilizing the existing social support in place to attempt to lower recidivism and two that the police and community must work hand in hand to address crime.”
A crime summary for 2022 has not been released. The only data available is crime to date information in the D23 area.
The two areas of Rexdale are Rexdale-Kipling and Elms-Old Rexdale. The Toronto Police Service has released crimes and their count over 2021 and 2022.
The data from 2021 and 2022 can suggest that crime has remained steady in Rexdale.
The University of Guelph-Humber and Humber College is adjacent to the Rexdale community. The amount of crime in Rexdale can appear concerning to students.
Students should be able to attend school without feeling that they are in an unsafe area.
Laurel McCann, a student at the university and a resident of the Rexdale community for two years said, “It doesn’t feel like the safest area….”
McCann fears walking alone, reckless driving and taking public transit.
Like McCann and other students living in Rexdale they are forced to adjust to the community. In many cases students take precautions to avoid dangerous situations.
Siobhan O’Donoghuee, a student who lives on residency at the university said, “I do my best to take safety precautions such as traveling in groups, sharing my location with friends and family and letting someone know I’ve made it to my destination safely.”
The fears residents have of living around the Rexdale community are real, but there are things they can do to help build a safe community.
One of the ways Rexdale residents can help improve their community’s safety is by reporting crimes when they happen.
Laing said, “No matter how active police patrol neighbourhoods, if members of the community do not call the police to report crime, the crime may not be detected and addressed.”
Another solution members of Rexdale are encouraged to do is reach out to their neighbourhood community officer, where they can voice their opinions or partner with the police to help reduce crime.
To contact your neighbourhood community officer, click this link and search for your area.
https://www.tps.ca/my-neighbourhood/23-division/find-your-neighbourhood-officer-23-division/
Laing said, “The police are the community, and the community are the police.
Building a connection with the police can help make neighbourhoods and areas like Rexdale safer.