Do you feel safe in Windsor? Residents have mixed reactions to new stats

Earlier this week, Statistics Canada published its annual police-reported crime stats, revealing Windsor police recorded more crime in 2018 than 2017.

According to the StatCan report, Windsor police recorded 17,747 incidents of crime in 2018. The city's crime severity index also increased by approximately 23 per cent.

Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens and interim police chief Pam Mizuno reassured residents that the city is still safe, even though the increase in crime numbers recorded by Windsor police.

Despite those reassurances from Dilkens and Mizuno, not all Windsor residents feel safe in the city. 

CBC News spoke with Windsor residents in the city's downtown. 

Here's what they had to say:

Lauren O'Brien

St. Clair College student Lauren O'Brien works part-time at the Coffee Exchange.

She said she feels safe during the daytime, but tries to avoid going out at night alone. 

"There was a murder across the road from my house last year, which was kind of a big deal," said O'Brien. "I was sleeping when it happened, and it woke up up. I thought it was just a truck backfiring, but all of a sudden, there's cops everywhere and that really freaked me out."

Richard Woida

Richard Woida says he's lived in downtown Windsor for three or four years. 

He said he feels safe in the city, adding he hasn't had any experiences with crime in city. 

"I think the reputation is growing," said Woida. "I've lived right downtown here for three or four years, and my wife and I go out all the time."

Olga Politis

Olga Politis co-owns the Henna Boutique on University Avenue, is a registered nurse at Windsor Regional Hospital and has lived in downtown Windsor her whole life. 

She said she "absolutely" feels safe in the city.

"I love being downtown and supporting local businesses," said Politis. "I think that there's a lot happening in Windsor that people don't notice or are afraid to go downtown, so sometimes it gets neglected, but we have such a thriving community."

Cory Basden

Cory Basden is a musician and bartender in Windsor. He was born and raised in the city, but has been working in the downtown core for approximately a-year-and-a-half.

As a musician, Basden said he's noticed a spike in break and enters.

"A lot of music gear is getting stolen from local musicians and we don't seem to be recovering anything," said Basden.

As a bartender, he said some clients have had sour experiences in the city. 

He added that two people close to him have been mugged in the city.

"It doesn't seem to matter where, you're going to have this regardless of where you are in Windsor," said Basden. "I don't know if it's any worse particularly in the downtown."

Still, Basden said he's not too worried about his safety in the city. 

"I feel relatively safe in Windsor, but I can't speak for everybody," said Basden. "Anybody who's been directly impacted, I'm sure they have had their illusions shattered in a small sense."