Locking the gates won't help as this is the shortest way to get from point A to point B.
When they were locked there was way more foot traffic going by the homes on 26th street.

Where is this foot traffic originating and where is the usual destination? What is the age of the usual pedestrians? What time of day/night? Would a youth curfew be of help? Is there a real correlation between increased foot traffic and crime in the area or a feeling of discomfort for the residents?

There is a definite path that goes through the school grounds and the student residence going to the west flat.Some times there are people in the school grounds with brown paper bags drinking and then smashing the bottles on the pavement in the school grounds.Ages range from teenagers to people in their 50s 60s and any time of day,early morning to late at night.Would a curfew help??I can't see it,as the parents would have to be involved.

Could it be that this is possibly a result of the densification of land usage at the former residential school school property. Formerly there was more green space on this site but now due to new building projects there is much less open area for recreation. If the Arthur Pechey school grounds has become a destination for this social interaction of sorts, speaking here more of the adults drinking in public, then that must be addressed by the various agencies that could deal with the problem, including but not limited to the police. Parks, the PA Health Region (addictions branch), etc. should be contacted to see if the neighbourhood could help develop a strategy that addresses the roots of what is obviously becoming more of a problem in the area. Raising awareness of this community planning issue in any forum i.e. this one, City Council, contacting the local Urban Aboriginal Strategy Committee http://www.ainc-inac.gc.ca/ai/ofi/uas/cts/index-eng.asp for input will all be helpful.
Recently our Chief of Police and several other city representatives travelled to Scotland to learn about how creative urban planning and social strategies can redirect human behaviour and help curb crime especially in the youth population. Why not have a group of concerned neighbourhood citizens schedule a meeting with the Chief of Police and see if any of the ideas from Scotland could be brought into effect to help with this situation?

Police need to step up patrols EVERYWHERE in this city! EX: the recent vandalism at Walmart! Or hadn't anyone heard of it? Doesn't surprise me...

To those fine citizens responsible for the vadelism and theft on 22nd street west, please be advised that the next punk better hope I don't catch him before police. Sincerely Rob

how about a neiborhood watch or patrol why do the cops have to do everything? you want a safer hood then make it that way help each other out instead of depending on someone else to do it for you.

Tintin, you don't live in the real PA. Cops tell you to call them when you see anything sketchy, but what gets done? Zero. I asked a cop today if I could legally detain ppl who are trying to BURN DOWN MY PROPERTY and he suggested I do not. Apparently the cops are as afraid of the urban gangs as anyone else. We need a police force that gets results, not one that wrings it's hands and says, "I'm sorry, we can't do anything until someone gets hurt or dies." What a bloody joke!