SafeTech continues our series of crime reports with our Willowdale Crime Report. Willowdale is a Toronto neighbourhood that is located in the North York district of Toronto. The neighbourhood stretches from Bathurst St. in the west to Bayview Ave. in the east. It extends to just north of Finch Ave. and goes as far south as Highway 401.
Willowdale is split into two areas: Willowdale East and Willowdale West. The dividing line is Yonge Street. Both regions have similar crime rates. While they have an average amount of crime against people, crimes against property are very high in Willowdale.
Willowdale Crime Report Statistics
In 2006 Willowdale West faced an average of 3.17 crimes against people per 1000, but it faced 9.58 crimes against property. The statistics for Willowdale East were similar. There were 3.72 crimes against people and 10.31 crimes against property.
As there are a number of relatively large single family homes in the region, breaking and entering is unfortunately quite common. Here are some statistics as a part of our Willowdale Crime Report.
In February 2011, a basement apart in the area was broken into by force by three male suspects. The three men tied up the 22-year-old who was living in the basement and threatened the home owner who lives on the ground floor of the home with a handgun. The owner was also tied up by the three suspects. The victims did not sustain any serious injuries and it is unknown if they took any items from the house.
A similar situation took place a month earlier. A man in his 50s was stabbed in a home invasion near Willowdale and Finch. It is unknown if the situation was a random attack or if the home was targeted.
Willowdale and Finch was also the scene of a shooting in May 2011. Two men, who were known to each other, got involved in an altercation in the middle of the night and one man ended up shooting the other several times with a handgun. The shooting victim was a 40-year-old male. The shooter later surrendered to police.
In situations were homes are broken into or invaded by criminals, a good security system that is complete with security cameras can mean the difference between a criminal escaping unseen or being videotaped and later identified by police. Security cameras are not just crime deterrents, but they also aid the criminal justice system a great deal.
