‘What Better Way to Protect Ourselves?’
by Cheryl Stepan, The Hamilton Spectator
It happens often enough -- you pick up the phone and a friendly stranger greets you with an automated message.
But this time, it’s different. It’s not a huckster with a sales pitch, it’s a Hamilton police officer with some important information. There’s been a string of break and enters in your neighbourhood, and police want you to be on the lookout for a suspicious person.
That kind of message could be coming to a phone near you by the middle of the month, when Hamilton police and Neighbourhood Watch launch the Neighbourhood Watch Information Computer (NIC). Sherri Lojzer, president of Neighbourhood Watch in Hamilton, said it’s the perfect tool for keeping the community informed about crime-related issues. “What better way to protect ourselves?” she said.
The computer system can be programmed to automatically dial up a selected group of homes and businesses in the Hamilton area, passing on a message to either an answering machine or a live audience.
For now, the system will be used to alert people about community meetings or crime trends like a rash of purse snatchings or frauds, as well as conducting surveys, said Constable Keith Halloway. The alerts will also include crime prevention tips and a contact number.
The system also has the potential to be used to get tips from the public about a homicide, look for a lost child, or to help evacuate an area in the event of a disaster, such as Plastimet.
“They probably could have done the evacuation much more quickly (with NIC),” Lojzer said. Only a handful of other Canadian police forces are equipped with a similar system. It was paid for with a $30,000 grant from the province. “It’s an excellent communication tool for us to reach a larger portion of the community and also to receive input from the community,” Halloway said.
It works like this: police identify a crime trend, such as a person passing counterfeit bills at businesses on the Mountain. Hamilton police record a message with information about the crimes and when they occurred, including information on suspects where possible, tips and a contact number. They program the computer to select businesses in the target area, either using a list set up manually or with mapping software. The computer then gets to work dialling, sending the broadcast to 250 listings an hour per four phone lines.
“This is the Hamilton Police Service Neighbourhood Computer with an important message...,” begins the greeting. Lojzer doesn’t think people will be alarmed by the notifications, adding she thinks most people would rather be informed about crime so they can protect themselves rather than be kept in the dark. She added that if people don’t want to receive the messages, they can ask to be taken off the list.