Police request assistance with attempted abduction investigation, Sammon/Greenwood area
From the Toronto Police:
Sex Crimes Unit
416-808-7474
The Toronto Police Service would like to make the public aware of an attempted abduction investigation.
It is reported that:
– on Wednesday, August 29, 2012 at 1:30 p.m., a 12-year-old girl left her home and went to a convenience store in the Sammon Avenue/Greenwood Avenue area
– while en route, she passed a parked white van with two men on board
– the male passenger exited the van and grabbed the girl’s arm
– the girl was able to escape the man’s grasp
– the man fled the scene
The male passenger is described as 30, brown, 5’8”, green eyes, white hair with a long white beard. He was last seen wearing a Taqiyah and robe.
The van is described as having rust on the rear-door hinges as well as over the wheel wells.
Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 416-808-7474, Crime Stoppers anonymously at 416-222-TIPS (8477), online at www.222tips.com, text TOR and your message to CRIMES (274637), or Leave A Tip on Facebook. Download the free Crime Stoppers Mobile App on iTunes, Google Play or Blackberry App World.
Constable Tony Vella, Corporate Communications, for Detective Constable Shannon Warcop, Sex Crimes Unit
http://www.torontopolice.on.ca/newsreleases/release.php?id=24385
Lock up! Rash of bike thefts in this area
Please note that there have been a rash of bike thefts in the neighbourhood. We are told that thieves have been going into back yards, sheds and garages to steal bikes, so please be sure to lock up! Remember to report to police any suspicious activity that you might see. The Toronto Police non-emergency number 416-808-2222.
By the way, did you know that you can report many crimes online?
For more information on safety and crime prevention, contact your local Division: 55 Division (south of Danforth), 54 Division (north of Danforth)
Police Search For Gunman Near Kingston Rd and Woodbine
From The Toronto Star…
Twelve Toronto schools locked their doors for an hour and a half Thursday afternoon as police searched nearby for a suspected gunman in the Kingston Rd. and Woodbine Ave. area.
Classes at Notre Dame Catholic High School, St. Denis Catholic School, St. John Catholic School, Courcelette Public School, Adam Beck Public School, Monarch Park Collegiate Institute, Glen Ames Sr. Public School, Williamson Rd. Jr. Public School, Kew Beach Jr. Public School, Bowmore Rd. School, Balmy Beach Community School and Norway Jr. Public School were still in session but administrators locked the doors, starting around 1 p.m., as a precaution.
“There’s nothing parents need to be concerned about,” said Toronto District School Board spokesman Ryan Bird. “It’s just a ‘hold and secure,’ given the situation police are investigating.”
Bird insisted that schools were not in lockdown as classes were still in session.
Officers set up a perimeter near in the upper Beach area, but Sgt. Darryl Lindquist said the suspect slipped outside the police perimeter around 2:20 p.m. Police ended their active chase of the suspect shortly after.
The “hold and secure” status was lifted for all schools around 2:30 p.m.
Const. Tony Vella said police are looking for 18-year-old Nicholas Dillion-Jack in connection with a stabbing on Augusta Ave. in May. He is also wanted for firearms related charges.
“He is considered armed and dangerous,” said Vella.
Dillion-Jack is described as black, about 5-foot-5 and weighing about 140 lbs.
“Police were here for the purpose of apprehending him,” said Vella. “They saw him, they lost him.”
One suspect was briefly arrested and questioned around 1:50 p.m. but was released shortly afterward.
TTC buses were diverted around the scene. The 502 downtowner shuttle buses took temporary routes eastbound via Woodbine Ave., Gerrard St. E. and Main St.
With files from Liam Casey
Gr8 Projects Aw8
Business Revitalization Team – True Brew
Ask anyone who has been part of one of our Business Revitalization Team all-in days, it’s fun and it’s a great feeling to be part of real change on the Danforth. The latest project of the BRT is True Brew – the cafe just east of Woodbine on the north side of Danforth. The big day is this Sunday and we need to get volunteers to help paint the ceiling!! All we need is a few hours of your time from 10 a.m. – noon. True Brew will secure the supplies and provide drinks and snacks for the volunteers. Send a note to catherine_porter@rogers.com if you can help out.
The Rail Garden
How cool is this? These folks are working on a community garden along the railway line.
The goal of the Rail Garden is to serve the neighbourhood surrounding Monarch Park (Danforth/Gerrard Greenwood/Coxwell) by reclaiming unused public land and returning it to full use by the community. The Rail Garden will have garden plots that neighbours can tend individually, in families, or in small groups. If you want to support them or learn more or both, they’re having a fundraising community dinner at the Riverdale Hub this Saturday night. (As an aside, the Riverdale Hub is a very cool initiative that I haven’t told you about because it’s outside our zone, but trust me, and take a look at the website.)
Kidzone After School Program Presents…Puss In Boots Movie Night
Friday, March 23rd at 7 p.m – 8:35 p.m. at the Salvation Army on Cedarvale Ave. (behind Gledhill school).
$3 per adult, $2 per child (2-12 yrs.), Children under 2 are free. Refreshments Bar (popcorn, drinks, chocolate bars, etc.)
Origami For Pirates
If your child is the type who attends book launches and hob nobs with the Literati, then they will definitely want to attend the Origami For Pirates event at Silly Goose Kids . There will be stories at 2 and 3 p.m., activities and chance to meet the authors – The Brothers Leung. It’s all happening from 2-4 p.m. on Sunday, March 25th.
Project Picasso
Toronto Police Division 55 is launching an anti-graffiti project to target graffiti in our neighbourhood. They need YOU to report graffiti zones to Officer Stephen McGran (stephen.mcgran(at)torontopolice.on.ca) and Colleen Clarke (csc(at)colleenclarke.com). They will send out a team to paint over the graffiti. The police will approach the store owner, if it is a retail outlet, get their written permission and cover it up.
Lock It Or Lose It
Division 55 has revitalized a program called “Lock It or Lose It.” Break and enters of either home or car are on the rise in 55 Division. The message is clear: put your valuables out of sight. Take your GPS out of your car at night, don’t leave CD’s in plain view in your vehicle and lock your car doors.
In your home, lock your house whether you are working in the yard, at home or going on an errand, and certainly double check your doors before going to bed. Also, take your wallet, cell phone, purse and laptop upstairs with you at bedtime. Minimally don’t leave any of these items in sight from any window or glass doors.
If your house is under renovation, check in on it often as contractors order supplies, they’re left unguarded over night and then stolen.
When you are walking or driving around your neighborhood take note of goings on around you. Don’t take coming and going activities for granted. Report anything or anyone you see that appears out of the norm on your street. Watch for people checking house and car doors, jumping fences or hangers around. If you’re unsure, call it in, 416-808-5500 south of the Danforth, or 416-808-5400 if north of the Danforth.
Turn on your porch lights. Motion or light detectors on decks, driveways and verandas deter thieves.
55 Division Town Hall
Toronto Police Service’s 55 Division in partnership with its Community Police Liaison Committee (CPLC) will be hosting a series of Town Hall meetings in 2012. The focus of these meetings is to enhance communication and develop stronger partnerships between our community members and the police. The Toronto Police Service believes the goal of a successful CPLC is to ensure that effective policing and joint crime prevention programming is delivered throughout our many neighbourhoods. Members of 55 Division need to hear, first hand, the policing concerns of our residents and respond accordingly to improve the quality of life within our division.
55 Division is comprised of four policing zones. Each meeting will be dedicated to a zone and intend to address issues and concerns particular to that area.
The first meeting will be specific to 55 Division – Zone 4 and will be held on Tuesday, March 27, 2012 at Community Centre 55 at 7:00 p.m. Residents and community members of 55 Division – Zone 4 are invited to attend this meeting. Zone 4 is south of Danforth to the lake, Woodbine Avenue to the west, and Victoria Park Avenue to the east.
The meeting will include a brief overview of the policing issues and initiatives within 55 Division, and will focus discussions on the designated zone. There will be an opportunity for a question and answer period, and community members are encouraged to interact with members of the division and members of the CPLC.
