A rare string of sensational crimes in Placentia has stoked fear in the community, says the mayor, who has issued a plea for a more robust police presence.
"Things are changing within the community, and it's not for the better," Mayor Keith Pearson told CBC News.
But RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Jolene Garland said there are no vacancies in the Placentia-Whitbourne detachment.
With the recent surge in incidents, Garland said "it's certainly not surprising this would be very alarming to people within the community."
"We are well equipped to deal with the crimes that are occurring."
Garland said it's not surprising that residents are alarmed by the recent incidents — which included an advisory for residents in some areas of the town to stay inside their homes — but she described them as a "spike."
"At this point in time it doesn't seem to be a trend, as opposed to a spike in calls for service at that given time," said Garland.
There's an RCMP detachment in Placentia, but the mayor says help often comes from the detachment in Whitbourne, more than 40 kilometres away.
"A lot can happen in an hour, because that's what the response time is right now," said Pearson.
Garland said some detachments in the province are short-staffed and there is a recruiting campaign underway to try to bolster the force's ranks. But that's not the case in Placentia, she said.
Placentia is a town of more than 3,300 residents, located in Placentia Bay, some 120 kilometres southwest of St. John's. The town is mostly likely to make headlines for its connections to the Port of Argentia, its unique lift bridge, or its rich history as a battleground between the British and French as both sides vied for control of the fishery in the 18th century.
But instead of championing the economic opportunities in this town, Pearson is spending much of his time fielding calls from concerned residents.
"Talk to parents who got small kids who now can't let their kids out to play because they're afraid. Talk to seniors who feel like they gotta close their curtains in the middle of the day. These are stories I'm hearing," said Pearson.
The fear factor escalated just before Christmas after heavily armed police officers swarmed several neighbourhoods in the town, responding to a violent home invasion.
Police say two men forced their way into a residence, armed with a gun and a baseball bat. The man and woman inside the residence were assaulted, and the man was shot.
The alleged home invaders were arrested separately the next day, with one of the men captured by an emergency response team after he barricaded himself in a home.
Both men face charges of attempted murder and aggravated assault, along with other alleged offences.
The shooting and subsequent manhunt, featuring police in military-style fatigues and assault rifles, and a large tactical vehicle, was one of a series of high-profile incidents in the town, said Pearson.
"I've never in my nine years as a municipal leader, either as mayor or deputy mayor, fielded as many calls as I have with regards to fear and anxiety," said Pearson.
The past 12 months have seen Placentia transformed from a quiet town where people rarely locked their doors, said the mayor, into a place where some residents are fortifying their homes with added security and lights.
CBC News spoke last week with a Placentia woman who was the victim of a home invasion last year and a married couple who used a kitchen chair earlier this month to prevent a man from breaking down their front door.
CBC News has agreed not to identify the victims, who expressed a deep fear that speaking out would only invite more trouble.
"It was the most horrific, terrifying experience of my life, and I'll never be the same as a result," said the woman, who barricaded herself in a bedroom last winter after a man smashed his way into her home and ransacked the upper level.
"It was like a movie. You hear the crescendo of the music and the footsteps and the door knob turns. 'I have a gun.' Three times it was said to me. 'I have a gun and I will use it.'"
The intruder, Sherlock Jonathan Stacey, was eventually arrested, and convicted, but the homeowner is still living in fear.
"So now I got every kind of security system, every kind of light. I'm like a demented, crazy little woman at two o'clock in the morning, peeking out the blinds to see if there's somebody on the street."
Earlier this month, a couple was disturbed in the pre-dawn hours by a loud banging. When the homeowners went to investigate, they discovered a man trying to kick in their front door and shouting threats at them. The desperate homeowners jammed a kitchen chair against the door, and waited for an hour for police officers to arrive.
Once again, Sherlock Jonathan Stacey — back in Placentia after serving time for the earlier home invasion — is the alleged offender. Stacey was arrested and faces a long list of charges, including unlawful possession of a firearm.
When someone's safety is as risk, and there's a call for assistance, Garland said officers will respond "as soon as is possible." But factors such as the location of the officers and road conditions can affect response times, she said.
The mayor, meanwhile, blames the deteriorating situation on an escalation in the local drug scene, and the migration of people with known criminal backgrounds, like Stacey, to the town.
"There's a feeling that it's not what it used to be," he said.
Town leaders have brought their concerns to public safety minister John Hogan and the RCMP. The mayor says there are also plans to hold a public meeting.
Meanwhile, Pearson said he was encouraged by a comment made by Premier Andrew Furey during an interview with VOCM on Jan. 18.
When asked about crime and policing in the province, the premier said his government would be "prepared to invest" in enhanced policing services.
"I certainly will be one of the ones that will reach out and put up our hand and say, 'You know, we'd love to have some more policing here.' It would certainly help the quality lives of our residents," said Pearson.
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