Doon South residents start neighbourhood watch, hoping to slash suspicious activity

Residents of a south Kitchener community are taking action against suspicious activity—banding together in a new neighbourhood watch group.

“I'm not here to be a vigilante. I'm here to have people talk openly, recognize situations that need addressing. Hopefully, there's power in numbers. The more people are alert in the neighbourhood, maybe less of this will happen,” said Aaron Hansen, the creator of the Doon Nighthawks Facebook group.

A post on the neighbourhood watch's social media page says unlawful activity, break and entering, loitering, and vandalism are large issues facing the Doon South community.

A poll shows car break-ins are the biggest concern.

“It happens rather frequently and it stretches kilometres around the neighbourhood, not just on one street,” said Hansen.

The next biggest concern is home break-and-enters.

“The two largest issues down here are late night mischievous activities that thankfully, some people do catch on camera,” he said.

The group suggests measures like lighting up the landscape, securing doors, setting up a security system, and adding security cameras.

“I've heard from the ward councillor, which I'm lucky to. They've made contact with me. Allegedly, they're going to be setting me up with a police officer liaison to work with in our community, which will just be another tool in our arsenal to spread the awareness of what we're doing,” he said.

Hansen said he's advocating for the safety of Doon South.

“My mom always taught me to advocate for something and sadly, she passed away a few months ago and she was a huge advocate in her life,” he said.

Hansen said the the Doon Nighthawks Facebook group can help centralize the sharing of suspicious incidents to help residents act more quickly, instead of listings on several pages.

“I've had people join or look at joining the group from all around Doon South here in Kitchener, and I'm happy to have them because maybe that can spark ideas elsewhere in the city.”