Living in a safe neighbourhood does not guarantee a life free of trouble. This crime victim evaluates her treatment in the hands of "Metro's Finest."
Our house was broken into over this Canadian Thanksgiving weekend. We were away at my parents cottage when it happened. Most of our neighbours were also away and there were few cars on my street, located in the east end of Toronto, Ontario. Our modern townhouse is in an area with parks, a library, recreation centre and a good high school. We were surprised by the robbery because we feel safe here.
When my husband and I first came home, we thought maybe there had been an earthquake because some paintings had fallen, the TV had shifted and a cabinet door in the living-room was open. Pretty soon the cold air from the ground floor told another story. The criminals had lifted out our sliding glass doors and come in from the backyard.
The thieves took some jewelry, my son's Wii console and a shelf of Wii games in their original cases. I am fortunate to have an old second-hand laptop, instead of a new one, or I might not be writing these words to you. The police later informed us that in this kind of break and enter, the criminals typically steal video games, fancy laptops and jewelry but leave other electronics alone.
While I was waiting for the police to arrive, I went around to talk to the neighbours. They had all sorts of good advice. In hindsight, I figure getting one of those pins that secures sliding glass doors would have been a good idea. Also, leaving lights and music on to make the place seem lived-in would have been wise. These tips were obvious once my neighbours mentioned them, but the two police officers who came to investigate did not make us feel stupid or guilty for not taking more precautions. They were respectful and sympathized with our situation.
For the record, I want everyone to know the Toronto police talked to neighbours, took photographs, dusted for fingerprints, examined the outside of the house and checked that a nearby house was still secure, because it had an unopened newspaper on the step. They also took detailed descriptions of my stolen jewelry because when the thieves sell it, the officer said, they have to show ID. Sometimes a good description can help them catch the thief.
I was very pleased with the time the officers took and the patience they showed. At some point toward the end of their investigation, I said to one officer, it was too bad he had to work on a holiday like Thanksgiving. He replied Thanksgiving weekend had been tough for him and his partner because of many domestic abuse calls. If he was tired or burnt out because of it, he did not show it. When the job was done, he advised us to contact the insurance company and made sure we had the police report number so we could.
