Community Safety

Thwart Porch Pirates

I have a neighbour on my street who, it seems, has something sitting on his front doorstep every day. Sometimes the stuff is gone the next day. Sometimes it stays there for several days. I see cases of bottled water and packages from Amazon among other things.

If ever there was a way to signal to someone there’s no one home, this is how to do it. I’m not certain how many times his house has been broken into, but I do know it was broken into once in broad daylight on a weekend afternoon.

But that’s not the only risk of having stuff delivered and left at your front door. Your stuff can also be stolen by a “Porch Pirate”.

According to finder.com, 1 in 4 Canadians had had a parcel stolen from their home after it had been delivered by an online merchant. For 1 in 10 cases, the loss was over $250.

Want to avoid being a victim? Here’s what you can do.

Basic Procedures

Require a signature for deliveries so packages are not left sitting outside where they’re visible. It may require you to re-schedule a delivery or to go to a pickup location, but that beats having your stuff stolen.

Arrange for online purchases to be picked up – either at a bricks-and-mortar store or a courier depot.

Ask couriers to deliver to a neighbour’s home. Be sure to let your neighbour know so they’ll be there and ready for the delivery.

You can buy secure drop boxes for your front porch that can be accessed only by combination lock. You can direct couriers to place deliveries in the drop box and provide them the instructions on where it is and how to access it. Make certain the box is secured to the house in some way; otherwise, the thieves will just steal the box and all its content.

It’s also possible to buy a porch pirate bag – a reinforced nylon bag that is secured to your front door or gate. These are good for documents and small packages.

Here’s a photo of the original Porch Pirate security bag.

High-Tech

Place motion sensor lights about your entrance. They act as a deterrent – especially for thefts after dark. Most thieves shy away from the spotlight.

Set up security cameras around the exterior of your home. Wireless versions are best, because determined thieves will simply cut any cable from cameras that are wired in. Be sure they cover the front entrance and will capture the face of a person approaching it. Be sure they can capture images in low light, as in at dusk or after dark.

Install a doorbell camera at your front entrance. These usually are very good for picking up images of faces of persons approaching the front of your house and have a wide field of view to be able to capture people approaching from different angles. You’d be surprised at how many porch pirates have been caught by doorbell cameras – even ones installed on nearby properties.

Security measures aren’t perfect. They’re not guaranteed to catch a porch pirate in the act. But having them in place can serve as a deterrent. And isn’t that all you really want?

How to Prevent Frozen Pipes

Over the past month, a partner I work with and one of my nieces had pipes freeze and burst. The partner is based in Atlanta. My niece is in Raleigh, NC. Hardly areas where you’d expect super cold weather.

Here in Canada, frozen pipes are more common than we think and our cold winters are ideal conditions to trigger a frozen pipe. When water freezes, it expands, and this will stress the copper tubing in our plumbing to the point that it will rupture.

Frozen pipes are more than just a nuisance. They can damage possessions and furniture (usually) in your basement. Most homeowner insurance policies will cover at least a portion of the damage but, still, filing a claim just adds to the hassle.

Check out these suggestions:

Locate your main water shut-off valve inside your home and add a tag or label to it, so it is easy to locate and turn off quickly if pipes burst in your home.
Seal air leaks in your home and garage to stop cold air from getting in. Check around windows and doors, electrical wiring, dryer vents and pipes.
Insulate pipes in your home most prone to freezing including near outside walls, in the basement, or in a garage with an outside water supply. Use foam pipe covers available from building supply or home improvement stores.
Keep the house warm even if you’re away to prevent indoor plumbing from freezing, especially in the area near the water meter.
When temperatures are below -15C for a few days, you can choose to keep the water moving in your pipes by running a pencil-thin stream of cold water from a tap in the lowest point of the house e.g. a sink or tub in the basement. Ensure the drain is kept clear of debris to prevent overflowing or flooding. However, if you choose to take this step, you will be charged for the water you use.
One thing we tend to overlook is outside faucets. If the outside faucet is closed, and the water supply valve on the inside is also closed, sub-zero temperatures can cause the water in between the two valves to freeze and expand, which causes the pipe to burst. Best way to prevent this is to close the water supply valve inside and then open the outside faucet to allow any water to drain out, then keep the outside faucet open through the winter.

The City of Toronto has more suggestions on how to prevent pipes from freezing. Just visit toronto.ca/frozenpipes, where you’ll find all the details, plus a video to guide you through some of them.

How to be a Smarter Winter Driver

This year, we got a beautiful white Christmas. The snow formed an eye-pleasing blanket on the ground and branches. It’s lovely to look at, but, the snow should serve as a reminder we have to adapt our driving habits to weather conditions.

Here are 10 tips to help you become a smarter, safer winter driver.

These are MY 10 tips that work for me, not just a random list. I used to work in sales and routinely drove long distances to sales appointments – even through whiteout conditions on the New York State Thruway. (I used to live in Rochester, NY) I always got to my destination in one piece – perhaps not always on time – but I arrived.

1. Plan Your Trip

Whether it’s around town or driving between towns, it helps to plan your trip before you get into your car.

I use Google maps to check out routes to get an estimate of how long to expect the trip to take. That helps me decide when I need to leave to arrive at my destination on time. Google maps usually gives you alternate routes as well.

Check the traffic reports on the radio (680 News has traffic reports every 10 minutes) before you leave to see if your preferred or normal route is affected by accidents or other delays. If there are likely to be delays on your route, plan to leave earlier to ensure you get to your destination on time.

One popular app for navigation is Wayz. It functions as a GPS, but also gets real-time input from real Wayz users about accidents, road closures, construction and detours to be able to suggest alternate routes to get you to your destination.

2. Check the Weather

It’s always a good idea to check what the weather will be for the day to have some idea of how your driving might be affected. Even more so in winter when snow and/or ice play havoc with driving conditions.

Watch for weather forecast that call for a mild day in the morning and cooling down below freezing over the afternoon. These are the conditions that enable black ice to form. It’s hard enough to see in the daytime, but even harder at night.

3. Turn on your Headlights

You’ve probably heard people recommend you turn on your headlights when you’re driving in rain or fog to make your vehicle easier for other drivers to see.

The same principle holds true in winter. Here’s why.

When you turn on your headlights, the brightness cuts through fog or snow to make your car more visible to oncoming motorists. But turning them on also turns on your tail lights making your vehicle easier for motorists coming up behind you to see you.

While most modern vehicles have daytime running lights (DRL) that automatically come on when you start your car, the DRL does not activate your tail lights so, in fog, snow or especially at night, your car becomes a “phantom car” – invisible to anyone coming up behind you.

So, when the weather forecast suggests poor visibility, turn on your headlights. But only use low beam. High beam tends to reflect light back to you from moisture droplets in fog or snow and can actually reduce your ability to see the road ahead. Low beams will allow you to see enough of the roadway ahead of you without blinding oncoming motorists.

4. Equip Your Car With Winter Tires

Once the temperature has dropped below 7° C, if you can do only one thing, it should be to put on winter tires.

Winter tires have a softer rubber compound and different tread pattern compared with summer or all-season tires to give them better traction in snow and on ice.

With All-Season tires on a dry road, a passenger sedan will require 35 meters to stop (about the width of 3 residential lots) from 50 kph. On packed snow, at the same speed, it takes 55 meters to stop. On ice, this jumps to 87 meters – almost the same distance as 7 houses.

Winter tires decrease stopping distances by about 33% to about 38 meters on snow and 58 meters on ice. This means that winter tires can allow you to brake in the same distance on snow as all-season tires on dry pavement.

When Spring comes around, replace your winter tires with summer or all-season tires. The softer compound used to give winter tires better grip also make them much more prone to wear in warmer weather.

5. Leave More Space

Just accept that it takes more distance to stop on winter roads than on dry pavement.

Increase the distance you leave between your car and the vehicle in front of you to compensate for this increased stopping distance.

Also, when passing, allow more space between your car and other vehicles. Winter roads can present unexpected problems like black ice or ridges of unplowed snow or slush on the roadway. These can cause your car or others to unexpectedly veer from their intended course.

6. Easy does It

A smart winter driver avoids making sudden moves when he or she is driving. This includes braking, steering, lane changes.

If you feel you are losing control, DO. NOT. BRAKE. Let off the accelerator. Gently. Do not apply any braking force as you start to skid or you’ll make the situation much worse by locking your wheels. Only when the car is back in a straight line should you use the brakes. Or when you’re already so far gone that you’re absolutely, positively going to hit something. At that point, braking won’t prevent the collision, but it’ll help you in the first few milliseconds after the impact.

7. Don’t Crowd Plows

While it is legal to pass a snowplow or a sanding/salting truck, always give the operators of these vehicles plenty of room to work to prevent collisions and to get roads cleared faster.

The operators are also trained to move over to allow traffic behind them to get past, so just be patient.

It may be frustrating to be following a slow-moving plow, but at least you will be travelling on a roadway that is relatively clear of ice and snow.

It’s tempting to just pass the plow, but the roadway in the passing lane may not be cleared of snow and you risk losing control and possibly colliding with the plow while passing. If you’re going to pass, make certain the passing lane is relatively clear.

8. Slow Down

Don’t drive so fast during the winter. Slow down.

Stopping distances are a function of four things: 1, your reaction time, 2, your speed, 3, the curb weight of your vehicle and 4, road conditions. Even if you have snow tires, at any given speed, it will take longer to stop than on warm, dry pavement.

The chart below compares stopping distance on dry pavement vs, on wet or snowy roads. The blue bar represents the distance you would travel while you react to something you see on the road. The red bar represents how far your car will travel from the time you step on the brake until you come to a complete stop.

The weight of your vehicle affects stopping distance because your vehicle’s momentum is a combination of speed and weight. So, if you’re used to driving a small sedan, when driving an SUV or pickup, it will take longer to stop than you’re used to.

By planning your route and making allowances for bad weather, it’s a lot easier to feel you can drive at a slower speed.

9. All Wheel Drive Is Not A Cure

All Wheel Drive gives drivers a false sense of security. Most drivers with AWD think their vehicles can handle any kind of conditions because all it needs is one wheel to get traction to be able to maneuver the car.

Unfortunately, on ice for example, if you’re not equipped with snow tires, you’ll end up in an all wheel skid. Your AWD vehicle still needs tires that can get traction on road surfaces to maintain control.

If your vehicle is a pickup or SUV, don’t be tempted to drive faster because your vehicle has AWD. The centre of gravity on SUVs and pickups is higher than for sedans, and you can roll your vehicle over more easily than if you were driving a sedan.

10. Arrive Alive. It’s Important.

If you pull out all the stops when you’re driving just to be able to make your destination on time, you’re probably taking unnecessary risks for you and your passengers.

I’ve seen cars skid off the road because drivers were going too fast for conditions or braked suddenly and went into a spin.

By taking my time, I managed to get through areas where cars, trucks and buses had gone off the road. I never had a customer complain that I was late for an appointment during a snowstorm. They always appreciated that I arrive, and arrived safely.

Keep Your Car Safe

We have experienced two types of auto-related crimes in Long Branch: theft of valuables from cars and theft of the cars themselves.

N.B. This chart shows auto theft statistics for ALL of 22 Division, so it is not just data for Long Branch.

First Principles

If you fail to lock the doors to your car, you leave a huge opportunity for thieves to enter it. Therefore, the best way to prevent thieves from getting into your car is to lock it whenever it is parked. (This includes not only at your home, but also when you go out shopping.)

Some of you may have seen security cam video of thieves checking car doors. They’re looking for cars that are unlocked, because they represent opportunities for quick entry and exit compared to vehicles that ARE locked.

If you have a garage, use it! By parking your car in a garage, you not only keep your vehicle out of sight, but also any valuables in your car are also out of sight. When your car is not visible to thieves, it’s off their radar.

By the way, lock your garage, too. If a thief can open your garage door, he can also close it to prevent anyone from seeing him while he tries to get into your car as well as time to break in undetected.

How Thieves Circumvent Locked Cars

As in life, nothing is 100% certain. Even if you lock your car and park in a garage, it does not provide 100% protection from theft. The two principles we described above will deter a casual thief, but not a thief who is determined to get into your vehicle.

Here are some common ways a more determined thief can use.

If your car is parked outside, a thief can break one of the windows to be able to reach in and grab valuables that might be visible.

High-rise apartment dwellers or condo owners park their vehicles in underground parking garages, which means they are out of sight of passersby on the street or even from many of the other residents of the building who may also park underground.

This means a thief has much more opportunity to operate without being seen and has more time to enter a vehicle – especially at night when there is very little traffic in an underground garage.

A thief can get into your car not only by breaking a window, but also by forcing open a door or sun roof.

Keyless Entry

A criminal can enter and steal your car in under 60 seconds – even if you have keyless or remote locking systems on your vehicle.

Professional car thieves have increasingly been using a technique called a “relay attack” to enter locked vehicles. Here’s how it works.

Your car’s locking system and the remote fob communicate with each other using low powered radio waves that are only effective when the car door and the fob are within one meter (or 36 inches) of each other.

Research by Tracker, a car security company, revealed that 50% of those surveyed leave their keys either in the hallway of their house or a key pot elsewhere.

The photo below illustrates how a team of thieves perform a relay attack.

The criminal on the right is holding a device that pings the car’s locking system, basically impersonating the key. The car’s locking system replies to the ping by sending out a signal that’s intended to connect with the key fob. The device the criminal on the right is holding relays that signal to the device the criminal to the left is holding. This device amplifies the signal enough to be able to communicate with a key fob within 10 to 15 meters of the front door. When the key fob in the house receives this relayed signal, it responds with a signal to unlock the doors that is relayed back through the two devices the thieves are using. The same process can be used on the ignition system to start the vehicle.

To illustrate how prevalent the relay attack is being used, company Tracker revealed that 92% of the cars it recovered last year were taken without using the keys. This is an increase from 2018’s figure which stood at 88% and a worrying increase of 26% compared with four years ago. The figure in 2016 stood at 66%.

Click here to see a video of a car being stolen in Scarborough in mid-2020 so you can see just how quick this can happen.

Models Most Likely to be Stolen

There are rings of professional car thieves who steal cars to order – usually for shipment overseas. If your car is stolen by one of these rings, it can be inside a shipping container within hours of being stolen.

Here is the Insurance Bureau of Canada’s Top 10 list of stolen vehicles.

2018 Honda CR-V 4DR AWD SUV
2017 Lexus RX350/RX450H 4DR AWD SUV
2017 Honda CR-V 4DR AWD SUV
2018 Lexus RX350/RX350L/RX450H/RX450HL 4DR AWD SUV
2018 Ford F150 4WD Pickup
2019 Honda CR-V 4DR AWD SUV
2018 Toyota Highlander 4DR 4WD SUV
2017 Toyota Highlander 4DR 4WD SUV
2019 Lexus RX350/RX350L/RX450H/RX450HL 4DR AWD SUV
2017 Dodge Ram 1500 4WD Pickup

Note that most of these are not what we would consider luxury vehicles

What You Can Do

Here are 5 things you can do to prevent your car or truck from being stolen.

Block electronic key fob signals: A Faraday box or wallet, is the best way to block out any electronic signals, (A Faraday box is made from metal – either solid or metal mesh – and blocks radio waves.)
Keep keys out of sight: Leaving keys in the hallway or on the kitchen worktop means thieves can easily employ the relay technique if it is within proximity or, failing that, break in and swipe them.
Add layers of security: Physical barriers can be effective in deterring thieves. Consider adding a crook lock or wheel clamp to your car.
Install a ‘ghost immobilizer’: For another layer of protection, add a secondary barrier to your car’s factory fitted immobilizer by having a unique access code to start your car.
Invest in a tracking device: A tracking device won’t stop your vehicle being stolen, but it significantly increases chances of police recovering and returning it

Neighbourhood Watch

Origins

Neighbourhood Watch originated in the US in the late 1960s as a response to the rape and murder of Kitty Genovese in New York. It was estimated that 38 witnesses saw or heard the attack, but none of them called the police or came to her aid. This motivated a community response and the very first Neighbourhood Watch scheme was set up in New York,

The program was inspired in part by Jane Jacobs‘ The Death and Life of Great American Cities , which argued that Americans need to keep their “eyes on the streets” and connect with each other in their neighbourhoods. National law enforcement agencies began pushing for community members to get more involved with reporting crimes at the local level by forming groups to watch over their neighbourhoods and to look out for any suspicious activity in their areas.

During the first few years of the program, neighbourhood watch functioned primarily as an intermediary between local law enforcement agencies and neighborhoods, to pass along information about burglaries and thefts in specific neighborhoods.

Goals of Neighbourhood Watch

The goals of a Neighbourhood Watch programs are to:

Improve community safety generally including, e.g., fire safety.
Prevent crime by improving security, increasing vigilance, creating and maintaining a caring community and reducing opportunities for crime by increasing crime prevention awareness.
Assist the police in detecting crime by promoting effective communication and the prompt reporting of suspicious and criminal activity.
Reduce undue fear of crime by providing accurate information about risks and by promoting a sense of security and community spirit, particularly amongst the more vulnerable members of the community.
Improve police/community relations by providing effective communications through Neighbourhood Watch messaging systems to warn Coordinators of local crime trends which they can share with their members, and by members informing the police of incidents when they occur.

Making It Work

Neighbourhood Watch works best when everyone on a block knows everyone else. People tend to help people they know.

One tool I’ve seen used is a map or schematic of the street showing each house’s address and the names of the family members in them, including children. When you walk down the street, you’ll be able to greet your neighbours on a first-name basis.

Another tool that’s worked is to have an annual block party. It’s a great way to get to know your neighbours better and to establish stronger relationships with them. Because people can move on from time to time, a block party is a great way to welcome newcomers or to wish departing neighbours farewell.

When you know your neighbours, you know who belongs in your neighbourhood and who does not.

If you see a stranger nosing around a neighbour’s house or car, call the police. It may be something innocent, but you may help catch a criminal.

If you see a strange vehicle driving slowly along the street, it could be a criminal researching your block. Again, call the police.

You may hear, from the Neighbourhood Watch Facebook group, about some suspicious activity in your area. If you have security cameras installed around your house, check to see if they’ve captured something that confirms what’s happening. Share it with the police. It could help find and convict a criminal before they can do more harm.

Resources

On Facebook, you can find a Neighbourhood Watch group organized in Long Branch. It’s free to join. Once you’ve joined the group you can post to the group when you see something suspicious, and, of course, you’ll see what other members have posted.

There is also a site called Neighbourhood Protect that connects with the Toronto Police Service so you can receive and view up-to-date crime reports. You’ll need to set up a free account and set your profile to identify you live in Toronto and that you also live in Long Branch, but this can be done in less than 5 minutes.

Learn More

Here are some useful videos that can help you. All are only 10 – 15 minutes long.

Training Video – Part I

This video is about knowing what and who belongs and doesn’t belong in your neighbourhood. It also reminds us that Neighbourhood Watch is not a vigilante group. Do not confront potential criminals and put yourself at risk. Don’t be afraid to phone the police.

Training Video – Part II

This video is about two programs: CrimeStoppers and Operation Identification. It also has some tips on how you can help your neighbours avoid becoming victims.

Training Video – Part III

This describes some real-life examples of how some residents assisted the police. It also has some good tips to help prevent auto theft.

Training Video – Part IV

Learn how to make entryways more secure. You’ll learn about potential vulnerabilities in your locks that will surprise you. Lots of good suggestions about deterrents to make your house more secure.

We’ll post more articles about some of the topics covered in the videos. If you have a special topic you’d like to learn more about, please contact us at community.safety@lbna.ca

BOLO: Suspicious Envelopes

This notice was originally sent out from 22 Division alerting residents about suspicious envelopes being delivered to their homes.

Suspicious envelopes are being sent out by an unknown person via Canada Post.

This is occurring in the South end of Long Branch and Mimico along Lake Shore Drive and Lake Promenade.

The envelopes are addressed to the homeowner and a letter inside states that this is enough fentanyl to kill more than 10 people. Also inside is a small package containing a white substance. Police have confirmed that this substance is not fentanyl and is harmless.

The letter asks for money to be sent using bitcoin or the family will be harmed.

This is being investigated as an extortion.

Police are suggesting that, if you receive such an envelope, touch it as little as possible (e.g., use tongs to handle it), take it outside to a protected area, cover it with a garbage can lid or something, then call police and they will come and safely retrieve it from you.

For more details, click here.

Do not touch these envelopes and call the police at 416-808-2222.

David Gillis Staff Sergeant (650) 22 Division, Priority Response Unit

We strongly suggest you share this post with your neighbours.