Earlier this week, I met with members of Peel Regional Police and property owners TACC Developments at the Tim Horton’s in Brittany Glen plaza in the wake of the shooting that occurred on the evening of May 31. By way of update, the suspect in the shooting has been identified as Awais Khan, 20, of Hamilton. An arrest warrant has been issued. He was identified by way of one of the 18 high definition cameras mounted on rooftops around the plaza. These were installed a few years ago by my insistence to deter the amount of loitering that has been a going concern in the parking lot.
As a result of our meeting, the following actions have been identified to further address these concerns:
- Mobilizing a unified response by Peel Regional Police, including increased police presence and patrols at various times day and night;
- Deployment of School Resource Officers to the plaza after school hours
- Peel Police will conduct a CPTED review (Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design) with a view to reduce the opportunity to hide in natural areas such as bushes or behind rows of trees
- A letter sent to business owners in the plaza encouraging their active participation in discouraging suspicious behaviour around their stores
- A crime prevention guide provided to the business owners in how to improve sightlines in their store fronts
- Review the effectiveness of adding one or two more high definition cameras to provide more coverage of the plaza and parking lot
- Improve private security presence by having a marked security vehicle on premises at night
- Ticketing and towing of vehicles parked overnight at the plaza
- Review of the protocols around free WiFi provided by some establishments where service extends well beyond the store into the parking lot
It’s important to note that the plaza is private property, owned by TACC Developments, with stores leased out to business owners, franchisees, entrepreneurs, etc. TACC is taking this latest incident very seriously and is working to address the safety and security concerns. So, too, is Peel Regional Police. I thank them for their time and commitment. It takes a partnership of all stakeholders to affect the positive change we desire. We have discussed the holding of a townhall meeting and are still looking at options around doing so.