Glengarry residents say neighbourhood safety an ongoing issue

Residents of the Glengarry area say they have ongoing safety concerns following a two-day Windsor police operation where 24 people were arrested and 48 charges were laid.

One resident, Marilyn Harcus, said she witnessed some of the arrests that happened as police roamed around the neighbourhood on mountain bikes.

"This is supposed to be housing," she said.

"This is not a good place for all this to be happening. And from the beginning when things started ... I think they should have put a stop to it."

Harcus, who was born and raised in the heart of downtown Windsor, said police presence on site is not enough to guarantee resident safety in the neighbourhood.

"I'm glad they are catching the people that they are catching. It's not making us feel any safer. It's bad enough right now that I walk around with my knife clocked and ready to go."

Another resident, Pierre Garvel, said he didn't hear of the arrests, and that there's always something happening in the area. 

"If it's not the drugs, it's someone getting murdered, someone getting stabbed. Unbelievable."

Nolan Goyette is the chief tenant services officer with the Windsor Essex Community Housing Corporation (WECHC). He said many of the concerns heard from residents date back to a fire dating back to February, with increased incidents to follow.

"I think that there's increased activity at Glengarry in terms of potentially some kind of guests that come on site, potentially trespassers that come on site," he said.

Goyette said WECHC staff often express concerns around their safety and reported a number of incidents, adding that a continued effort with the police and the community is required.

"We're looking at other partners in the community, to support mental health as well as addiction."

"The police have always had a presence at Glengarry. What we've looked at is having more of an intentional presence, so working more collaboratively with our guards, with our staff."

Goyette said there's a place at Glengarry dedicated to having police on site as a safety measure.

"They're not necessarily using it all around the clock, but they have space so that they can collaborate with our team," 

Windsor police laid the following charges during their two days in the neighbourhood this week:

• Assault with a weapon (six counts).
• Assault (two counts).
•  Arson (two counts).
• Theft under $5,000 (eight counts).
• Failure to comply with a court release order (five counts).
• Failure to comply with conditions of probation (four counts).