Residents question safety in the City of Barrie

Recent incidents, like a 16-hour standoff requiring heavily armed tactical officers and crisis negotiators in a Bayfield Street parking lot, have some Barrie residents questioning just how safe the city is.

“I feel that if you are in the right place at the right time, it’s safe, but if you go out, you know, downtown Barrie after night I think it’s a dangerous place," said resident Angela Molnaar.

According to Stats Canada, there has been a slight uptick in crime from last year, but crime in the city is significantly down from 2019.

Yellow tape and police vehicles remain in a Bayfield Street plaza parking lot on Wed., Nov. 20, 2024, following a weapons-related investigation in Barrie, Ont. (CTV News/Mike Arsalides)

An online Barrie police survey is trying to determine what safety concerns people have with the city. Police want to hear from those who live in there area.

• Related | How safe do you feel in the City of Barrie? Have your say

This is the sixth year Barrie police have conducted the online survey. Last year 1,600 residents participated.

“It’s really helpful to us in terms of hearing where the concerns are in the community, where we might need to address more crime prevention or just work with the community partners in that area so it’s completely voluntary and its completely confidential as well," said Jannett Mays with the Barrie police.

From recent incidents like the stand off... or police clearing out encampments along Bradford Street near the city’s downtown, homeless encampments have many people a little nervous about potential safety issues.

“Well the drugs and stuff like that you know. I don’t feel safe in Barrie you know, I have to keep looking behind my back you know I don’t trust anybody,” said a local resident.

Barrie police at the encampment located at 80 Bradford Street in Barrie Ont. on Nov, 21 2024. (CTV News Rob/Cooper)

Even those who live in the encampments admit they have safety concerns.

“Not too safe. I’d feel a whole lot safer if we had housing, being out here on the streets is not safe for any one of us. There’s a lot of times where people are passing through here all the time, and I have no idea who they are and I have no idea what they’re going to do, so of course neither one of us feel 100 per cent safe."

Police will take the next several weeks to go over all of the information collected from the survey, and present a report sometime in the new year.