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Preventive measures take centre stage<br />
at N.E. community safety town hall<br />
Humaira Falak is becoming<br />
increasingly insecure and more<br />
protective of her two daughters<br />
since an increase in violence<br />
started plaguing her<br />
neighbourhood of Falconridge<br />
in April.<br />
Since the first two shooting<br />
deaths there have been two<br />
more people killed and two others<br />
injured in shootings in<br />
Calgary’s northeast.<br />
Statistically, the region has<br />
become the most violent in<br />
Calgary, accounting for 23 of<br />
the city’s 53 shootings so far<br />
this year.<br />
“I’ve been in Canada for six<br />
years and this hasn’t happened<br />
but now it’s happening<br />
in my neighbourhood,” Falak<br />
said. “I live and work in this area<br />
and am a single mother so obviously<br />
I’m very concerned.”<br />
Falak was among more than<br />
100 members of the public who<br />
attended Coun. George<br />
Chahal’s public safety and<br />
community violence town hall<br />
meeting on Tuesday night at<br />
the Genesis Centre in<br />
Falconridge.<br />
The event served as a<br />
question-and-answer between<br />
residents, members of the<br />
Calgary Police Service, the<br />
Calgary Board of Education,<br />
MLAs and community leaders<br />
in response to growing concerns<br />
over violence in the area.<br />
Prevention was on top of the<br />
list of priorities, with speakers<br />
urging the community to “see<br />
something, say something” in<br />
an effort to increase arrests and<br />
convictions of violent offenders.<br />
“I do support the police 100<br />
per cent in the work they do<br />
but I think the community can<br />
also step up and speak up,”<br />
resident Annette Bandcroft<br />
said before the meeting.<br />
Bandcroft has been living in<br />
Falconridge since the 1980s and<br />
remembers when gangs were<br />
running rampant in the northeast<br />
30 years ago.<br />
“There needs to be a zero-tolerance<br />
policy . . . I mean, we live<br />
in a country where there are very<br />
strict weapons laws, so where are<br />
the guns coming from?<br />
“For me, it’s all about following<br />
the money,” she said. “I understand<br />
that sometimes you<br />
need to get the little fish but we<br />
need the big fish.” Questions<br />
ranged from inquiring about how<br />
to seek help and support if<br />
you’re aware of a crime or involved<br />
in one, to non-profits<br />
getting more funding from bigger<br />
organizations to help in the<br />
fight against crime.<br />
Overwhelmingly, the speakers<br />
urged parents to be involved<br />
in their children’s lives, arguing<br />
communication and connection<br />
are the best chances of preventing<br />
children and teens from engaging<br />
in criminal behaviour.<br />
Amid ongoing budget talks at<br />
city council, Gurinder Brar is worried<br />
that a lack of transparency<br />
will lead to cuts to very important<br />
services, such as police.<br />
“All the politicians have a<br />
simple tag line, which is ‘we are<br />
not cutting the front-line services’,<br />
but what services they are<br />
cutting?” Brar asked. “Our<br />
money should have been spent<br />
on youth, combating these<br />
crimes, & any money being spent<br />
on the arena should be spent on<br />
the communities.” (The End)<br />
Sikh Virsa, Calgary 76. August, <strong>2019</strong>