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An obvious consequence of poorly controlled growth in Barrie, over recent years, has resulted in an increase of violent crime in our once safe city.
The local media reports such events on a frequent basis.
Many crimes could possibly have been averted by police patrols, but this crime preventative strategy has not been exercised for a number of years in my part of the city.
Police presence could have deterred armed robberies, break and enters, drug dealing, etc.
Lack of police presence and enforcement has also resulted in careless, distracted and impaired drivers becoming a serious safety problem for road users and pedestrians.
City politicians have done little to deal with this growing problem. They seem to be more concerned with appeasing wealthy landowners and developers than Barrie residents.
We are paying $53 million per year plus for hundreds of police officers and staff. I feel sure that more employers would be attracted to Barrie if they perceived it to be a safer city - plus it would improve the quality of life for all residents.
P.S. It has just been reported by local media that Barrie is in the top 10 cities in Canada with the highest car insurance costs, based on collisions, car theft, tickets, etc.
J. Bennett
Barrie
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