L’Amoreaux is a Toronto neighbourhood that is located in the former City of Scarborough. It was part of the former town of Agincourt as well. The neighbourhood is primarily a residential one. There are a number of single-family homes and townhomes in the region as well as several apartment buildings and condominiums. The boundaries of the L’Amoreaux neighbourhood include McNicholl Avenue in the north, Huntingwood Drive in the south, Victoria Park Avenue in the west and Kennedy Road in the east. The crime rate in L’Amoreaux depends on where you live in the area. Between Kennedy Road and Birchmount Road, from Huntingwood Drive north to Finch Avenue, there are 8.58 crimes against people per 1000 people living and working in the area. There are 13.24 crimes against property. North of Finch Avenue to McNicholl, still between Kennedy and Birchmount, there is 3.64 crimes against people and 15.96 crimes against property. The area bordered by McNicholl, Birchmount, Warden Avenue and Finch has 2.64 crimes against people and 11.66 crimes against property. South of Finch to Huntingwood Drive, there are 6.83 crimes against people and 10.97 crimes against property. West of Warden Avenue to Pharmacy Avenue, between Huntingwood and Finch, there are 3.76 crimes against people and 9.88 crimes against property. North of Finch to McNicholl, still between Warden and Pharmacy, there are 4.28 crimes against people and 20.22 crimes against property. Between Pharmacy and Victoria Park Avenue, from Huntingwood to Finch, there are 6.13 crimes against people and 11.35 crimes against property. The area bordered by Pharmacy, Victoria Park, Finch and McNicholl has an average of 10 crimes against people and 6.31 crimes against property. Unfortunately all Toronto neighbourhoods have some degree of crime and L’Amoreaux is no exception. In February 2010, a driver for a pizza company was making a delivery in the Huntingwood Drive and Victoria Park Avenue area when he was confronted by an armed suspect. From the Toronto Police Service:
The victim approached the driveway of the residence and was confronted by a male suspect wearing a disguise. The suspect produced a handgun, made a demand for cash and struck the victim about the head with the weapon. The suspect then fled the scene empty-handed northbound on Fairglen Avenue towards a nearby apartment complex. Toronto EMS attended and transported the victim to hospital where he was treated for his injuries and later released.
Regardless of the neighbourhood that you are in, it is important to be alert in all situations and aware that crime can happen at any time. In June 2011, a man was stabbed in the neck in the Birchmount and Finch area. The stabbing was a result of an argument between the victim and the suspect. From CityNews Toronto:
A 35-year-old man has been charged with attempted murder after a stabbing inside a Scarborough highrise Wednesday afternoon. The 40-year-old victim was on the fifth floor of a building on Birchmount Road, at Finch Avenue East, when the accused allegedly stabbed him in the neck. The injured man was taken to Sunnybrook hospital in serious, but not life-threatening condition.
In May 2009, a man was shot in the parking lot of a shopping plaza near Finch and Kennedy. From CTV:
Shots rang out just before midnight Monday in a parking lot of a shopping plaza located on Finch Avenue, just east of Kennedy Road. A passerby saw a man stumble and fall near the railway tracks that are just east of the plaza. The passerby called police but by the time authorities arrived, the man was pulled into a silver Mini Cooper. The Mini Cooper that was seen transporting the victim has been located and has been searched by police. A suspect – a man in his twenties that is believed to have been inside the car – is in police custody. Police have also recovered a weapon. Authorities say they are investigating whether the gun battle that erupted between a two groups of men was caught on a surveillance camera that was set up in the plaza. Investigators say they found numerous shell casings in the parking lot.
As with the situation above, police officers typically use footage recorded by security cameras to identify suspects and determine what happened at the scene of a crime. This is powerful evidence that can be used to arrest, charge and prosecute suspects. In addition to home alarm systems and business alarm systems, video surveillance cameras are a vital piece of a security system.
