Good Afternoon Everyone,
I would like to touch on a very interesting set of statistics in eastern Toronto which don’t get bragged about, or even pointed out in the media too often.
Toronto Police Services – 43 Division, located in southeastern Scarborough has one of the lowest crime rates not only in Toronto. A few years ago a police officer who worked out of 43 Division told me he would put crime stats for 43 Division up against any major city in North America and come out ahead.
The boundaries of 43 Division? The western boundary is Brimley Rd.The northern side is Highway 401. To the east its the Rouge River, and to the south its Lake Ontario
There is good news and bad news when it comes to this announcement…..The good news? If you want to learn about the crime statistics for 43 Division to back this up, you can go to the “Crime Statistics” section of the Toronto Poilce Services website: http://www.torontopolice.on.ca/statistics/ Click the “I have read and agree to the qualifiers ” box and away you go.
The bad news… Unfortunately the information provided in charts and graphs. There is no useable format by what is commonly referred to as “Open Data”
If you go the City of Toronto “Open Data” Portal you will not find any crime statistics either. Under the “P” you will find links to datasets describing the different police station addresses and their boundaries. http://www1.toronto.ca/wps/portal/contentonly?vgnextoid=1a66e03bb8d1e310VgnVCM10000071d60f89RCRD#P
If you have the time and the inclination you can attend the 43 Division Community Police Liaison Committee (CPLC) which meets on a monthly basis. Here you can listen and watch a presentation by a police officer who will go over the monthly crime statistics. 
(I understand this happens in every Division every month) Just don’t ask the Toronto Police Service to post them publicly…not in an individual chart or graph….and definitely not in any “open data’ format
You can contrast this to the City of Montreal which launched a crime statitics website using “open data” in September 2016. http://montrealgazette.com/news/local-news/police-open-data-site-lets-citizens-track-crime
Here is a taste of the crime statistics from the 43 Division June 8, 2017 CPLC meeting:
– There is a new Public Safety Response Team, they started May 1st and their office is at 330 Progress.
– They do community engagement that is positive and proactive, working on what is going on in local communities and addressing their concerns.
Crime Stats
1- Collisions and Enforcement
-Hot spots from May have already seen a reduction due to increased enforcement, again mostly in the area of Scarborough Town Centre and Morningside and Kingston/Lawrence intersections
-It was noted that Distracted Driving is slowly overtaking Drunk Driving as the #1 killer in motor vehicle accidents, and includes eating, drinking, applying make-up, and just touching the phone.
2- Break and Enters
-May stats are down 8% from last year.
-Residential b&e’s are down a lot, non in June so far
3- Robberies
-Up slightly from this time last year
-There were a few incidents around Morningside and Lawrence but have been reduced now due to increased enforcement
4- Auto Thefts
-Up considerably this year compared to last year, but already in May numbers are down significantly
5- 7 Major Crime indicators
-All down since last year.
Community Concerns:
1- A resident complained that motorists are still speeding on Guildwood Parkway, particularly from Guild Inn to Morningside. He was informed that 43 Division have the Watch Your Speed Trailer is ready and can be installed. Then the police will analyze the data collected and use it to know when they should be having enforcement go out.
In conclusion, I can’t thank the men and women of the Toronto Police Service stationed in 43 Division for their dedication to keeping my community safe!!
All my Best,
Paul