Calls for vigilante patrol groups in Hamilton mount as vehicle break-ins rise

Jesse Gallant has seen a lot in the five years he's helped moderate a local community Facebook group: posts regarding missing pets and phones, queries for contractors and doctors, warnings about porch pirates and potholes.

But calls to form a vigilante justice group to curb a rash of car break-ins?

I've never seen anything like it," said Gallant, a co-administrator of the Kirkendall Neighbourhood Hub group.

Intended to be an inclusive space for people to learn and talk about their west Hamilton community, the social media group has taken on a different tone over the past few months after daily posts containing photos of ransacked cars and smashed windows.

But what began as neighbourly warnings of petty crime in the area have since morphed into suggestions of organizing late-night patrols to scare off those behind the car break-ins.

I am ready," one user recently wrote in the group in response to the idea.

I know a few of us would be up for that Chatham (Street)," said another.

I would like to donate some money for fuel if this is a real thing," chimed a third in a separate post.

Eventually, Gallant said, the vigilante justice rhetoric extended beyond jest and reached a point of concern.

We had to delete threads because people were talking about bringing weapons, and we don't want people going around with baseball bats," he said, noting he's unsure if those users actually hit city streets to patrol. It was concerning, but at the same time I saw where their frustrations were coming from.

Every day there's a new post about a car window being smashed and stuff being stolen."

Indeed, data provided by Hamilton police shows the city has seen an average of more than nine car break-ins a day over the past month and a half.

Between Dec. 1, 2022, and Jan. 19, 2023, 468 incidents of unlawful car entries were reported to police, a marked uptick of about 36 per cent compared to the same period a year earlier, according to the statistics.

And some neighbourhoods have had it worse than others.

Data shows nearly half of Hamilton's car break-ins experienced between the month-and-a-half time frame occurred in Division 1 - the central division that covers the western part of the lower city, from the escarpment to the waterfront, between Dundas to the west and Sherman Avenue to the east.

The numbers in Division 1 have almost doubled," said Sgt. Asim Butt, crime manager for central Hamilton. Some of the hot-spot locations include Strathcona, Kirkendall, Durand, Beasley and Landsdale."

Butt said the 225 vehicle entries in Division 1 between Dec. 1 and Jan. 19 are up from 133 over the same period a year earlier.

Police's other two patrol divisions, meanwhile, haven't seen nearly as big of year-to-year increases over the same period. In Division 2 - which runs from Sherman Avenue to the city's eastern border north of the escarpment - vehicle break-ins went from 100 to 113; In Division 3 - which encompasses the rest of Hamilton including Flamborough, Waterdown, Dundas, Ancaster, Binbrook and the Mountain - they went from 111 to 130.

It's tough to say why this is happening more in Division 1 than other divisions," said Butt, noting car break-ins are generally considered crimes of opportunity. What I can say is that these incidents are occurring during overnight hours when people aren't around."

Recently, on Jan. 19, police arrested a 29-year-old man after he was found entering vehicles in the downtown area late at night. He's been charged with theft of motor vehicle, break and enter, and unlawful possession of items over $5,000.

Butt couldn't confirm whether police believe the man was involved in other car break-ins. It's an ongoing investigation."

Still, even with the arrest, rising car entries in the lower city have been flagged by police as a pressing problem, Butt added.

In February, police will roll out a POP (problem-oriented policing) project in hot-spot neighbourhoods. That includes redirecting resources and having more officers patrol identified areas during overnight hours. Butt said patrol officers will be given fact sheets before shifts that detail specific problem locations and streets, as well as a list repeat offenders who live in or frequent those areas. Additionally, officers will be required to carry out compliance checks on known individuals out on bail for unlawful vehicle-entry charges.

The hope is these measures will tame community concerns and make residents feel safer, said Const. Krista-Lee Ernst, police spokesperson.

As for police's message to those who want to patrol city streets for vehicle crime suspects?

We're reminding citizens that these are crimes and police need to be contacted," Ernst said.

For Melissa Kooyman, who lives on Ray Street South between Hunter and Bold streets, the spate of car break-ins has left her a little uneasy.

It's happened to me and to a lot of people living in my area."

Kooyman said her car has been broken into twice in the past few months, most recently on Jan. 12 when her window was shattered. The repair cost $450. She said what's most surprising to her is the random" nature of the break-ins in her neighbourhood.

When they broke the window last week, they didn't take anything from the car; they just tossed everything around," she said.

Reynaldo Cruz can relate.

On Jan. 9, he found his car, which was parked at Ray and Peter streets, with a missing tinted window - but no pieces of glass.

They must have used a tool to pry it open," Cruz said. They emptied the glove compartment and centre console and took whatever they could, even the window and my car manual."

A week later - after using a garbage bag as a placeholder for his missing window until getting a replacement - Cruz again noticed someone had been in his car.

They actually tore through the bag," he said of Jan. 15 incident, and they again took what they could. This time I only had pens and a gift card in there."

In a way, I was a little relieved I left my doors open by accident because if not, I would've had to pay for a new window," added Lynn Baverstock, whose SUV was broken into at Napier and Ray streets on Jan. 17.

Baverstock said little of value was stolen from her car - a new pair of pants, some old lottery tickets and empty grocery bags. They tossed the car and left stuff like highlights and car mats on our front yard. It's a bit concerning because this is a pretty quiet area."

Police are reminding residents to report vehicle entries even if nothing was stolen. It is still a criminal offence - mischief to property," said Ernst.

Ernst said the more people report unlawful entries, the more information police have to identify patterns and trends in a given area.

It helps us to try and tie other vehicle entries to an individual, instead of just one."

Sebastian Bron is a reporter at The Spectator. sbron@thespec.com