One of the victims impacted by a recent rash of break-ins that took place in Chatham is calling for an emergency leadership meeting to address the issue.
Jamie Perry owns a business at 585 St. Clair Street that was broken into last week, before more commercial break-and-enters over the weekend. He told CK News Today political, policing, business, and community leaders must come together to solve the problem.
Perry doesn't blame police for the ongoing problem but said something must be done to resolve it because the business community is fed up.
"Who is going to solve the problem? The people of Chatham-Kent are going to solve the problem. Whatever that looks like, we'd better get around the table and start talking about it. Otherwise, it's going to keep happening," said Perry. "I think if you get 50 people sitting there, there's going to be a lot of good ideas to throw on the table and we can say okay, this our next course of action. I don't know what that looks like, but I'm sure there's a lot of different options."
Perry said it's going to take a team effort to come up with solutions.
"I think all of the business people are singing the same song and they're all frustrated, but if you're going to sit in your chair and not show up, then it's going to continue," Perry said.
The Chatham-Kent Police Service (CKPS) previously noted in their annual policing reports that most of the break-and-enters were committed by the same individuals who are arrested by police and released by the courts shortly after.
“Property crimes have plagued our community for some time, in recent weeks there has been an uptick in the number of break-and-enters to local businesses. We understand the concern and anxiety this has caused our community and, as a police service, we want to assure you that the safety and security of our community is our highest priority," said CKPS Chief Kirk Earley. "CKPS members, both civilian and sworn are working tirelessly to investigate these crimes in order to identify those responsible and hold them accountable for their actions. We have also taken a proactive approach by enhanced intelligence-led directive patrols, increased property checks, and community engagement via social media to help educate and encourage our community to remain vigilant about suspicious activity. This has led to a number of individuals being arrested and charged with various property-related offences in the last week."
Chief Earley also noted his officers will continue with this "enhanced strategic and multifaceted approach" to help reduce property crimes. He said the job will get done through a balance of proactive and reactive measures, leveraging technology, community involvement, and policing techniques to help reduce property crimes.
"A strong and collaborative community approach is our best defense against crime,” the chief concluded.