NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCHING

The Orchard Avenue residents who organized last week's meeting for those
concerned about crime in their neighbourhood are onto something.

They have realized that by coming together they can do something about
their problem. Forming a neighbourhood watch group does not require complex
crime laws and the rewards can be considerable.

But those who are concerned about crime in this city should be reasonable
in their expectations and restrained in their actions.

A handful of people patrolling the streets is not likely to put a hasty
stop to all criminal activities. Neighbourhoods do not turn "bad" overnight
and the reverse is also true.

Some actions, such as picketing suspected drug houses, may also provoke
criminals and provide them with an opportunity for violence. This may also
encourage law-abiding citizens to bypass the legal process in favour of
"well-intentioned" vigilante "justice."

Some of those who spoke during the public meeting should also take a few
minutes to calm down and get the facts.

Claims that a city such as Houston, Tex., is safe because "everybody's got
a gun" are irrelevant and ill-informed.

Some of the actions proposed during last week's meeting also suggest
ignorance of civil and criminal laws. Asking the RCMP to pick up
"criminals" because someone says they may have committed a crime reverses
the principle of "innocent until proven guilty" - a principle at the heart
of living in a "free" country. Surely nobody wants to live in a society
where you have to prove your innocence.

A meeting organizer said he will ignore the extreme voices and instead
focus on what local citizens can reasonably accomplish by themselves.

That's smart, as long as they put safety - and logic - first.