Niagara police to present downtown crime data to St. Catharines City Council

Niagara police are preparing to bring new data to St. Catharines City Council as concerns grow about crime downtown.

“We do have a lot of violence and we do have shootings, stabbings which is unfortunate,” said a local resident.

Niagara officers are preparing to meet with St. Catharines City Council, bringing new information on what they say is a concentration of criminal activity downtown.

This comes after a letter sent by Mayor Mat Siscoe warning the area is “at a tipping point,” with data showing a small group driving much of the crime.

“The letter was very much around that topic and asking is that the case here. We believe it is, anecdotally. When we talk to business owners, they say it’s the same people constantly causing problems,” said Siscoe.

During a meeting last Thursday, the police board directed Chief Bill Fordy to gather and present information on criminal activities downtown.

“We wanna make sure that the offenders, the people that are actually committing the crimes, are being dealt with properly,” said Siscoe.

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The mayor also discussed the possibility of a permanent police storefront location to boost officer presence in the downtown core.

“I think that’d be great. It would help out our core, it would help out the businesses and help out the people that are patronizing all of our businesses down here,” said Kevin Kelly, co-owner of Sunset Restaurant.

And while some applaud the push for more police downtown, others say the real problem runs deeper than patrols and presence.

“I think it comes to the fact that there’s not enough services provided for folks to actually feel safe,” said Nana-Yaowusu, barista at Mahtay Cafe.

Chief Fordy says staff are now preparing data, including justice-system outcomes and any operational or systemic limits.

Niagara police say this information will be shared with the council once finalized.

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