If your bike gets stolen, should you call 911?

“Whenever there is danger and risk of violence, when there is a crime in progress, and when a suspect is involved, people should call the police,” said Constable Adalbert Pimentel from Station 12.

Pimentel explained that not all cases qualify as a 911 call. In fact, 911 calls should only be made when there is immediate danger or a suspect.

“Let’s say your bike gets stolen," he said. "You should come to the station and make a citizen's report. Now, let’s say you see someone stealing a bike — now you have a suspect and you should call 911.”

To make a citizen's report, one must go to the station and fill out a form.

“When the crime is minor, such as petty theft, if there is no suspect there is no case. But if the crime is of a violent nature, people should still call 911.”

Pimentel said that even when there is no suspect, perpetrators are usually caught sooner or later. “For example, in cases of theft of valuables left in vehicles, we catch these people because they are repeat offenders. Still, people should not leave valuables in their vehicle to avoid theft,” he said.

Pimentel also stressed the importance of calling 911 when witnessing a crime. “Even when suspects flee the scene, if we have a good description, we can detain them based on reasonable ground.”

Reporting crimes is also useful, since this allows the police search for patterns in an area.

“We have analysts that crunch the data to see what crimes are common and when they are likely to happen,” Pimentel said.

“It is the little details that help you catch a criminal,” said Detective Stefan Bisson, who studies data and patterns, and closes about 15 cases in a month in the Westmount area.

Public Security serves a special funtion

Westmount's Public Security unit has different responsibilities.

“We are responsible for all municipal bylaws, such as construction and littering,” said Public Security Director Richard Blondin.

Westmount Public Security officers are also the only officers in the city who are authorized to enforce provincial tobacco laws.

“The fines stay in Westmount but a small administrative fee goes to the City of Montreal,” Blondin said. “Right now we are just giving warnings and educating the public, but in September we will start giving fines.”

So when should you call Public Security?

“People can call us for disturbances, like noise, construction, illegal parking and lost pets,” Blondin said.

Westmount Public Security also works to ensure public parks are clean and safe.

“We give a lot of tickets regarding alcohol use in parks. Even though we can just give tickets for graffiti, we transfer these cases to the police to ensure they go under the criminal code. We want people to know that our parks are safe.”

Officers can detain a suspect until police arrive if the suspect is caught in the act, since they have the power of arrest of a citizen.

Public Security also tries to give a speedy service to Westmount residents. “If they phone us, we immediately dispatch a patrol. It should be there in minutes,” Blondin said, adding that if people find lost articles they should bring them to the police.

Despite their differences, both forces maintain the focus on crime prevention. “We always insist that people keep their valuables in the trunk of their car,” said Pimentel.

Blondin says that crime prevention is key. “For example, if people go on a holiday and they let us know, we keep an eye on their property, making sure that our patrols pass there often.”

It is because of these two forces that crime in Westmount is relatively low. Pimentel insists that Westmount is quite safe compared to other communities. “Believe it or not, the biggest danger in Westmount is driving; people that do not respect the highway code; speeding on Sherbrooke Street; people not stopping on Victoria Avenue. Because of this injuries and fatalities do happen,” he said.

The number to contact Station 12 is 514-280-0012. The number for patrol dispatch for the Westmount Public Security Unit is 514 989-5222.