Harbourfront is a Toronto neighbourhood that is located along the shore of Lake Ontario in downtown Toronto. Roughly the boundaries of this neighbourhood are south of Lake Shore Boulevard to the lake, between Yonge Street and Bathurst Street, though some consider the neighbourhood to be larger. The Toronto Harbourfront neighbourhood consists primarily of tall residential condominiums and various commercial areas. Like all Toronto neighbourhoods, there is crime in Harbourfront. There are 3.7 crimes per 1,000 people living and working in the area. That rate is quite low when compared to the rest of the City of Toronto. There are 17.44 crimes against property per 1,000, which is relatively average for the city. Many people feel that, since the area is filled primarily with condominiums, security services such as alarm systems and video surveillance cameras are not necessary. Unfortunately, crime can take place in a large, multi-story building just as it can in a single-family residence. So it is important to protect yourself. Staying safe in a condominium requires having the right security tools at your disposal. Even if your building has a concierge at the front desk or a phone system for controlling who can enter the building, people can still sneak into the property without being noticed. Video surveillance cameras and security guards in all public areas can certainly help this situation. It is also important to protect yourself inside your condominium unit. Having a security system installed in your condo will offer a great deal of protection for you and your family. In Toronto’s Harbourfront neighbourhood, there have been some bizarre crimes recently. In 2010, human remains were found inside a barrel in Lake Ontario near Queens Quay. From CTV:
Toronto police say that human remains encased in concrete have been discovered in Lake Ontario. The concrete and the body are inside a barrel. Police arrived on the scene at around noon, and shortly afterward, the marine unit pulled a rusty barrel out of the water. Officers say that mud and concrete are inside the steel drum, along with the remains of an unidentified person. Police told reporters at the scene that it is obviously a homicide. It isn’t clear, however, how long the barrel was submerged.
In August of 2011, a car riddled with bullets was found abandoned on Lake Shore Boulevard. Police found blood and bullets in the car, but initially no victim. The driver later returned to the scene with serious but non-life threatening injuries. From CBC:
A major portion of Lakeshore Boulevard West has reopened, after a bullet-riddled car with blood-spattered seats was found by the road Tuesday. Both the eastbound and westbound lanes of the busy highway were closed from Ontario Street to Parkside Drive in the morning as investigators surveyed the scene. Thousands of rush-hour commuters were forced to take a detour. The stretch of road reopened around 4 p.m. Tuesday afternoon. Police found shell casings on the ground near the black Lexus sedan and also located the driver.
These instances serve to further highlight that crime can take place almost anywhere. Crime is unpredictable and there is no way to know when or where it will occur. While this fact is unfortunate and even sometimes frightening, you can protect yourself by being aware and alert at all times and by installing professional security equipment in your home and business.
