Tip line planned for North End neighbourhood to combat scourge of crime
William Whyte crime rate is 52 per cent higher than Winnipeg average
A community in Winnipeg's North End wants to put crime-fighting efforts at the fingertips of its residents by creating an anonymous tip line like one that has existed for years in Point Douglas.
"I'm hoping that people will go ahead and start reporting stuff, like different drug houses and maybe people breaking into boarded-up houses and stuff like that," said Darrell Warren, president of the William Whyte Neighbourhood Association.
He's been working for two years to get the William Whyte Powerline established in the area, a rectangular region bordered to the north by Redwood Avenue, to the south by Selkirk Avenue, to the west by Arlington Street and to the east by Main Street.
About 7,000 people live in the area, which remains one of the city's most crime-ridden, despite a decline in incidents over a five-year span, says the Winnipeg Police Service's 2023 statistical report.
It has a crime rate 52 per cent higher than Winnipeg's average.
Just four days ago, Sheldon Derrach Catcheway, 33, and Shanastene Irene McLeod, 35, were shot to death in a house on Alfred Avenue.
Warren applied last week to the Manitoba Justice criminal property forfeiture fund for a $20,000 grant to get the tip line going. It would be similar to the Point Powerline introduced in Point Douglas two decades ago.
Tipsters call a staff member, who takes the information and redirects it to police.
Warren says people know where the trouble spots are, but are afraid to call police directly.
"This gives them a different option, where they can report it to us and we can report it," he said. "I'm hoping it will definitely make a difference and encourage people."
A couple of weeks ago, Warren alerted a community police officer about a drug house near Selkirk Avenue and McGregor Street. Not long after, the police service's armoured vehicle showed up and there was a police takedown.
It shows tips can bring results, he said, hoping the example serves as motivation for others.
Sel Burrows, who co-founded and helps run the Point Powerline, says it gives people power to help make their community safer.
The most effective way to improve safety is to target drug houses, which he says are a major cause of crime "because they have guns and knives and stuff, and it attracts people who, when they are addicted … act not in their normal way and … cause problems."
The Point Powerline was set up around 2006 and took some time to catch on, but when it did, it made a big difference, he said.
"Eventually what happened, we were down to … two small drug dealers, down from 32 to two," he said.
"And the sense of community that developed, the sense that people, ordinary people, could make a difference in their community, was massive."
It led to people tackling other issues plaguing the neighbourhood, like garbage piles in empty lots and yards and lanes.
"So not only is it a crime-prevention methodology, but it's a real community-building process."
Burrows has been working with Warren in getting the William Whyte line going, underscoring the benefits to him and the entire association along the way.
"They've got a wonderful community garden system going and different things, so they know the value of community, that they're not all just individuals," Burrows said. "Once they're given the tools to deal with the gang houses and the drug dealers, you're going to see the violent crime and other crime indicators drop significantly.
"Nothing will cure it 100 per cent. It's not a perfect solution, but it is a pretty good one."
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With files from Meaghan Ketcheson and Mike Arsenault