Filled with fear: Stoneville, Port Albert looking for help with disturbances, crime
Notre Dame Bay communities call on RCMP for aid
The quiet, peaceful communities of Stoneville and Port Albert are being challenged by petty crime, and people have had enough, residents of the central Newfoundland outports say.
People who've lived there for years tell CBC News they want the police to up enforcement, and the justice system to help them restore the way of life the tiny Notre Dame Bay communities had known for decades.
"You don't know when you wake up in the morning if something's broken into or if something's vandalized or if someone's hurt or what the case happened overnight," said Geoffrey Hodder, a lifelong resident of Stoneville.
"Every morning is just that fear of what you'll hear today."
The fear has blanketed the communities. CBC News spoke to over a dozen people in Stoneville, many of whom described how houses, cabins and the local church are being broken into.
They told CBC News how outboard motors are disappearing from boats, and a private safe was stripped from a home and damaged beyond repair. Women whose husbands work on a rotation are scared to sleep in their own homes, afraid of what might happen to their children. Alleged drug deals keep the neighbourhood awake in the early morning hours. Seniors have strategically placed baseball bats throughout their homes — just in case.
"I will always love Stoneville," Hodder said.
"I've lived here my whole whole life. I plan on living here till the day I die. I have a really strong attachment to it. I'll, you know, deal with the crime if I got to the best I can — I don't think that they're going to intimidate me to the point where I would want to leave. That's not who I am. I'm not one to buckle to that kind of thing, but, it has sort of took the enjoyment out of just being out and about, for sure."
Other communities in the province are dealing with similar social problems. Recently, the town of Robinson's Bight faced a weekend shooting that saw stray bullets hit homes, and the town of Bay Roberts was shaken by the discovery of human remains inside a burning vehicle.
Hodder recently attended a public meeting held in Stoneville to address the disturbances in town. What he heard from the RCMP officers in attendance, however, brought him little comfort.
"I walked away with less contentment than I had going there," he said. "They didn't give me a peace of mind that we were going to be safe or we were going to be taken care of. It was more of a letdown than it was anything uplifting about it."
It's not a simple case of him wanting to see those causing the disturbances to be locked up and removed from the community. Hodder is empathetic.
"The system should be there to help these people because at the end of the day, I feel sorry — I know all these people personally and, you know, I do have a soft spot for them in the sense that I feel bad for them," he said.
"But the system isn't doing them any favours by bringing them in and letting them go. You know, they need to be able to get on the right track in life ... our justice system should be in place to help these people. And putting them back out on the streets doesn't do them any favours."
If the erratic and disruptive behaviour continues, Hodder fears what may happen if police don't get involved.
"I wouldn't want to see anybody hurt, but it's going to come to that point where ... people are going to start to take matters into their own hands. And I'm afraid that someone is probably going to get seriously injured or possibly killed before there's anything really done about this."
In nearby Port Albert, residents are equally as frustrated.
Following years living on the mainland, Patty Pelley moved back more than 20 years ago. She's watched her hometown shrink in size — the population is now fewer than 50 people — and she's watched how crime in the tiny community can affect everyone.
"Port Albert and Stoneville need some help. And I'm sure there's other communities around that needs help. But right now, we need some help and for the cops to come and say all, 'Well, we're doing what we can.' No you're not. No, you're not. Now, whether you're short-staffed or not, it's time for you to start sticking up for us, the citizens. Help protect us. We're paying you. You don't get your paycheque from the federal government. You get your paycheque from us, the taxpayers."
Given its size, any disturbance in Port Albert affects everyone, Pelley says. If not dealt with by the authorities, she's also fearful of people taking matters into their own hands.
"'Tis only for one of them to cross one of us the wrong way," she said. "What other choice do we have? Now, I'm not talking about going out and shooting these people because I ain't got nerve for that myself. I don't have nerve like that. I wouldn't hurt nobody for nothing. But I'm not afraid of them either, like the majority Port Albert is, or Stoneville."
She says the issues are steeped in drug use, and it's impossible to talk reason with those responsible.
"There's a lot of crime happening around here," she said. "A lot of break-Ins, a lot of theft, a lot of drugs, a lot of speeders, a lot of intimidation going on.
"The main thing that we need right now, we need more enforcement. We need these people charged for some of the stuff that they're already getting away with, with the court systems. Our court system is gone to shit, and that's the truth."
Opposition says province needs to step up
On Tuesday, PC Leader Tony Wakeham and Harbour Main MHA Helen Conway Ottenheimer — who represents the Conception Bay North area — called on the province to increase the funding it gives to the RCMP.
"These are serious crimes that are happening right here in our province. Many people in our communities are wondering about the police presence, what kind of police presence do we have in our province right now," Wakeham said.
Conway Ottenheimer said an apparent rise in petty crime boils down to a rise in drug-related crime — and a lack of available police resources to patrol communities.
"If this is not a priority, if they do not take heed to the calls from the RCMP who are pleading for more resources, then we're going to see continued problems in our communities," she said.
"This needs to be taken seriously."
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With files from Mark Quinn
