Calgary Block Watch Council

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Calgary Block Watch Council

• Member Training
• Condo Watch and Apartment Watch

Making Calgarys communities a safer place to
live
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What is Condo Watch and Apartment Watch?

• Welcome to the Condo Watch and Apartment Watch
  training seminar. Thank you for taking an
  interest in the safety of your home, family, and
  community.
• If you have been the victim of a home break-in,
  theft, or vandalism, there are strong feelings
  common among each experience and individual.
  This is a feeling of being violated.
• The fact is, that although you can repair and
  replace your property, the damage of a break-in
  may take a long time to heal. Your sense of
  security and peace of mind are the hardest things
  to repair when you are the victim of a crime.
• The Block Watch Program was designed to get
  crime out of the home, off the block, out of the
  community, and to restore confidence that comes
  with safety. The Condo Watch and Apartment Watch
  Programs operate on the same principles as the
  Block Watch Program, but have been tailored and
  designed for a condominium complex or an
  apartment building.

• Key points
• Condo Watch and Apartment Watch are programs that
  restore confidence in the safety of your home and
  community.

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The Calgary Block Watch Council

• A Condo Watch or Apartment Watch Program
  consists of a network of community minded
  neighbours who team up to prevent crime.
  Altogether, the Calgary Block Watch Council is
  the largest volunteer organization in Calgary and
  over 44 000 homes in more than 150 communities
  are part of a local Watch Program.
• The Councils programs operate in many different
  environments. Within the last year, the Condo
  and Apartment Watch Programs have been in high
  demand, extending crime prevention programs in to
  buildings and complexes previously overlooked by
  house based Block Watch Programs. With the launch
  of the new on-line membership registry, the Condo
  Watch, Apartment Watch, and Block Watch Programs
  are now expanding at the block and floor level,
  once again improving the accessibility of the
  programs for differing environments and people.

• Key points
• The Council implements its crime prevention
  programs city-wide, tailoring programs to the
  needs of each community.

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Condo and Apartment Watch Goals

• Crime prevention begins with the residents of a
  community. We have three goals that will make
  your building a better place to live in.
• The first is to reduce crime through the active
  participation of residents. Crime effects us all
  in some way or another, and the most effective
  way to prevent it is with the participation of
  the majority of a buildings residents. If
  everyone makes a small effort to create a safer
  building, the benefits are enormous.
• The second is to engage the Calgary Police
  Service to help us prevent crime through the
  reporting of suspicious and criminal activity.
  If something you observe is of a suspicious
  nature, contacting the police is an effective way
  of preventing a crime from occurring. If we
  observe a crime in progress, then we should never
  hesitate to call the police to deal with the
  situation.
• The third goal in Block Watch is to promote the
  development of safe complexes and buildings. As
  residents work together to prevent crime, the
  security of the building improves and residents
  develop a strong, effective community.

• Key points
• Reduce crime through participation of residents.
• Aid the Calgary Police Service
• Develop safe and strong communities.

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Individual Members

• The first level of participation in Condo Watch
  or an Apartment Watch is as an Individual Member.
• Individual Members are the front lines of the
  program. No special skills or time commitments
  are required just a willingness to know the
  people around you and report activities that
  dont belong in your neighbourhood.
• The effort of each Individual Member makes is
  small, but the effects of doing these small
  things with others are enormous.

• Key points
• Individual Member is front line role of Condo and
  Apartment Watch.
• Floor Captains organize individual members.

Member Benefits

• Reduced crime
• Increased safety
• Sense of community
• Block Watch crime prevention decals

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Steps to Membership
Being a Individual Member is easy. It involves
three simple steps

• Look for suspicious activity.
• Call Police
• Call your Floor Captain

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Suspicious Activity

• One of the key activities anyone can do is just
  to become more aware of their surroundings. As
  you become familiar with your neighbours and
  neighbourhood, you begin to understand what is
  normal behaviour in your building and
  surroundings and what is not. Knowing such
  details as who your neighbours are, what type of
  car they drive, or understanding a few of their
  basic habits will make it easier to spot things
  out of the ordinary.

• Key points
• Learn to look for suspicious activity in your
  building.

If you witness suspicious activity, call the
Police and call your Floor Captain!
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Calling the Police
Call the Police to report suspicious activity
that you witness in your building and your
neighbourhood. If you do not inform the police
that there is a potential problem they will not
come! It is important that you feel comfortable
with reporting to the police. Most importantly,
if you observe something that you are not
comfortable with but do not know if it should be
reported, call the police anyhow. The police
will make the call as to whether help is needed.
They cannot help you with the problem at all if
you do not let them know what is happening.

• Key points
• To report suspicious activity, a Condo Watch
  member calls the police and his or her Floor
  Captain.

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Calling the Police

• It is important to know which telephone numbers
  are used to report crimes to the police.
• 911 is the emergency number to call when
  reporting any crime in progress.
• 266-1234 is used to report suspicious activity
  that is not necessarily a crime in progress. If
  you feel uneasy about a stranger or about
  anything you observe in the building or
  surrounding area that seems out of place, call
  this number.
• For evidence of crime that has taken place in
  the past, for example a car that has been broken
  into, call 266-1234.
• Translation services are offered for both 911
  and 266-1234. If you would like to speak to the
  police in another language, please by prepared to
  say in English which language you would prefer to
  communicate in. This will speed the translation
  progress up.

• Key points
• 911 is an emergency number for the Police.
• 266-1234 is a non-emergency number for the Police.

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Call your Floor Captain

• Call your Floor Captain to report suspicious
  activity. He or she will inform other members
  around them of a potential problem and ask that
  others report what they see.
• You may also wish to call your neighbours.
  Communicating with your neighbours about what you
  see will encourage them to participate.
  Additionally, if your neighbour is a target of an
  incident, letting them know at an appropriate
  time that you called the police for them will be
  appreciated.

• Key points
• Calling your Floor Captain will ensure that your
  neighbours will be aware of potential criminal
  activity in the area.

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Floor Captain
A Floor Captain is a volunteer who performs a few
small jobs to keep their Condo or Apartment Watch
members organized. A typical Floor Captain
spends about 2 hours a month doing their duties.
It is a great way to make friends in the
building! A Floor Captain encourages residents to
participate in training, and maintains the record
of Condo and Apartment Watch members and contact
information. They also pass along information
regarding community safety to their members. Each
Floor Captain receives a kit to help them perform
their job. They use the online database area for
their building to keep track of their members,
communicate with them, and to receive information
from the main office. Each floor in a Condo or
Apartment Watch needs a Floor Captain. While the
security tips provided in this manual work for an
individual member on their own, a fully active
program involves communication within the
building, which is coordinated by a Floor Captain.

• Key points
• Being a Floor Captain is easy and it is an
  integral part of a Condo and Apartment Watch
  Program.

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Why Condo and Apartment Watch Works
Condo Watch and Apartment Watch work to reduce
crime because the programs eliminate one of the
three components that must be present for a crime
to occur.

• For a crime to occur there must be
• Ability the physical capability to commit a
  crime must be present.
• Desire the emotional desire must be present to
  commit a crime.
• Opportunity a situation that permits a crime to
  occur.

Crime Triangle
ABILITY
DESIRE
Condo and Apartment Watch removes the opportunity
for criminals to successfully commit crimes.
OPPORTUNITY
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Why the Program Works

• Condo and Apartment Watch removes opportunity in
  several ways. The most obvious ways are
• Marking territory the Block Watch brand is an
  effective crime prevention tool. Stickers and
  signs are placed in doors and windows that
  advertise an active crime prevention program to
  criminals.
• Normalizing the environment Condo and Apartment
  Watch members know what belongs on their street
  and what does not. When something is out of
  place, they can identify what the problem is and
  report it.
• Reporting suspicious activity it is a well
  known fact that Condo and Apartment Watch
  programs report suspicious activity to the
  Police. This greatly increases a criminals risk
  of failure and arrest.

• Key points
• The Block Watch brand is a criminal deterrent.

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Building Safety Tips

• Always keep your apartment door locked when you
  are not home.
• Make sure you lock your apartment door, patio
  doors and all windows whenever you leave your
  apartment.
• If your apartment door does not have a deadbolt
  lock or peephole, ask the resident manager for
  permission to have them installed.
• Report lost keys to the resident manager
  immediately.

• Key points
• Keep your condo or apartment locked and secure.

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Building Safety Tips

• Make sure the garage door goes down behind you
  when you enter or leave the garage.
• Make certain that all doors have shut behind you
  whenever you enter or leave the building.
• Never prop open the entrance doors and leave them
  unattended. If you are moving, post someone at
  the door.
• Never hold the outer door open for strangers when
  you come in or go out. Tell them to buzz the
  person they are visiting or the resident manager.
  
• Never use your intercom to let strangers into the
  building, regardless of what reason they give
  you. Direct them to call the resident manager.

• Key points
• Do not permit strangers into the building.

Check back to our website for more building
security tips
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www.calgaryblockwatch.com

• Sign up online. You can return to the website,
  log-in using the user name and password you
  created while registering, and receive community
  information such as crime statistics, your
  community block map, and Condo and Apartment
  Watch news. You will also receive advisories
  about any crime problems in your area.
• Supplemental training available
• Building Security
• Personal Safety
• Operation Identification
• Seasonal and holiday safety tips

• Key points
• There are many online resources provided by the
  Calgary Block Watch Council.

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P.A.C.T.
Police And Community Telephone System

• Key points
• PACT is a telephone resource for information
  about crime in your community.
• The log-in on the website is an internet resource
  for information about crime in your community.

• A free, automated, telephone information, fan-out
  system, supported by the Calgary Police Service
  and Encana Corporation.
• It provides a current source of information about
  community crime concerns.
• If you would like to sign up for PACT and you
  have not already indicated this through online
  registration, please email info_at_calgaryblockwatch.
  com with your name and phone number.

For more information, see http//www.calgaryblock
watch.com/pact.html
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Privacy
Your privacy is very important to Block Watch.

• Individual Members of Condo Watch and Apartment
  Watch are not nosy neighbours. Members
  understand that part of enjoying where you live
  is that your home is a private place. Looking for
  suspicious activity on the street does not
  require disturbing or spying on your neighbours.
• All information collected by the Calgary Block
  Watch Council and any of its members is to be
  used only for the purposes of administering the
  Condo Watch or Apartment Watch Program. Personal
  information is never to be given to any third
  parties or used for any other purpose other than
  to implement the Block Watch Program.

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Block Watch

• Making Calgarys communities a safer place to
  live