

Crime in the Area
There have been a number of Property crimes in the area and the New Westminster Police Department is asking anyone who was the victim of a break-and-enter, to make a police report to determine if any of the recovered stolen property is theirs. If victims of these break-and-enters do not have serial numbers on file, any photographs of the stolen items are asked to be passed along to the investigating officer. For information on how to best secure your property please reach out to our Crime Prevention Coordinator for more information at 604-529-2528 or crimefree@nwpolice.org
To view a local crime map or sign up for incident updates go to: cityprotect.com
Crime Prevention Tips
Have an alarm system installed
Lock all doors and windows before leaving the house. Even the window on your second floor!
If you’re away for the weekend, avoid posting photos/videos or statuses, until you’re back. Also, try to have a neighbour or family member keep a lookout or drop by a few times while you’re away.
If you have a safe, make sure it is bolted in to a wall and not easily removable.
Avoid leaving your garage door opener in sight, if it’s in your car. Thieves will often break in to cars, steal the garage door opener and find their way back to the home by snooping through your insurance papers – for your address! This is another reason to always lock your car and glove compartment.
If you plan on being out during darker hours, make sure the exterior of your home is well lit. Sensor lights are an energy efficient and effective way to light up small pathways.
Look at your yard and neighbourhood areas from a burglar’s point of view. Trim trees and bushes that could hide them. Pay particular attention to trees growing near your house. Could a burglar climb a tree to get onto the roof and enter through an unlocked upper story window?
Also, make sure that emergency personnel can easily see your address from the street, even at night.
Outside doors and frames should be made of solid wood or steel, which are harder to force open than hollow-core doors. Frames in outside doors should fit snugly (within 1/4 inch) against the door, and any glass around an outside door should be at least 40 inches from the lock or be unbreakable. To keep the door from being lifted off its track, limit clearance by installing screws or a plate that protrude down from the top track.
For added security you can also consider a floor mounted door stop. This is much more effective than a door chain, which is easily compromised with a good push.
Hinges should be attached securely by screws that go through the door frame into the supporting stud, and are not exposed on the outside. Replace outside hinges with non-removable hinges that are available commercially.
To observe visitors, a wide angle viewer should be used instead of a chain lock, as they do not require you to open the door. Change your locks if keys are lost or when you move into a new residence.
Garages are a favourite target because they often have other valuables, such as power tools and bicycles in them.
Door security locks with key holes in the knob are unreliable, as they can easily be forced. Deadbolts should be used instead on all exterior doors, as the bolt can not be slipped with a card or tool, but can only be disengaged with a key. The minimum length of the throw should be 1 in. or 2.5 cm, and the surrounding collar of the deadbolt should be made of good quality material or have a freely rotating slip ring so that it can not be crushed or twisted. A strike plate, which is the flat metal plate on the door frame that receives the locks throw or bolt, should be 6-8 in. or preferably longer and installed with long screws that pass through the door frame and into the wall stud. Deadbolts provide good to excellent security depending on the quality.
Another type of bolt that can be used is the bolt rim lock, which has two vertically moving deadbolts that lock into a frame mounted striker above and below the door. These locks are suitable for wooden frames or where there are windows on the sides of the door preventing proper installation of a deadbolt. These locks provide good to excellent security, depending on the quality, and are more resistant to crowbars.
A system that is often found in older homes is the rim deadbolt lock. These are the simple sliding locks that are surface mounted on the interior of the door, and are easy to install but are poor security if simple screws are used. This type of lock should be updated with for better security.
Two more modern types of locks are the push button rim-locks and digitally coded deadbolts. A push button rim-lock features a keyless lock, opened by entering the correct combination on the numbered entry pad. This type of lock is popular in commercial applications but can be used in a residential setting as well. Keep in mind that the security code should be changed regularly so the number pad does not wear out from overuse. Digitally coded deadbolt systems with keypad or electronic remote are more expensive, but can be fitted to existing openings. They operate in the same manner as the traditional deadbolt system, but the locking mechanism can be activated without keys using an electronic remote. These systems can be of great benefit to seniors or people with disabilities.
To further add to the already increased security offered by a good quality deadbolt lock, the addition of a steel reinforcement device to both the door and frame greatly increases strength. Such a system is cost effective and simple to install.
Windows are generally a weak link when it comes to residential security. They can be pried open or broken, lifted from their tracks and the panes removed. There are numerous ways to increase the security to windows, all you have to do is conduct a simple survey of the existing windows by asking yourself the following questions:
Here are some methods of adding security to window sets:
Dear Queen’s Park Residents:
We’ve been advised by the City’s Engineering department that they will be starting work on implementing the full-time restriction of left turns from First Street onto Royal Avenue. The City will be installing traffic delineators (same as the posts put in on Third St and Royal Ave) to prohibit drivers from turning left onto Royal.
You may recall this time last year, the City proposed this full-time left turn restriction in response to years of complaints from Queen’s Park residents about the illegal left turns (during 3pm – 7pm Monday to Friday) and the lack of enforcement by police. There will be some residents inconvenienced by the left turn restriction, but for the sake of the neighbourhood as a whole, we agreed with the City’s decision to put in the traffic delineators on a temporary basis. Decreasing the number of drivers cutting through our neighbourhood is a benefit to all of us, in terms of safety and livability.
The City will allow 6 – 8 months for traffic to adjust to these measures and after this trial period, data will be collected and analyzed and given to the QPRA. We, in turn, will present these results to the residents and we can see if this traffic calming measure has the desired effect in reducing the number of drivers using our neighbourhood to avoid the traffic on Royal Avenue.
Sincerely,
Queen’s Park Resident Association
We have been advised by the City of New Westminster Engineering Dept that the operations crew will be implementing the temporary closure of Park Row (Second Street to Bonson Street) sometime during the week of December 16th, 2019.