Robberies, home invasions, and a murder earlier this summer have contributed to a growing string of criminal activity in Ottawa's Britannia neighbourhood.
The frustration among area residents came out during a community meeting with police on Wednesday night.
Adam Makucki, a father of two, has had enough. He said crime prevention, education, and sports programs are all part of the solution.
"You phone (the) police and (they come) eight hours later or who knows when," he told the meeting.
Const. Maria Keen of the Ottawa police, who has worked the Britannia area for several years, asked for patience from Makucki and other residents, saying the police have been inundated in the area.
Keen asked residents to work through Neighbourhood Watch, a community-led program designed to thwart crime.
"You need to send in the information to us us, the police, so that we can gather that evidence and eventually they will get caught," she told the audience.
Steve Hopwood, who once dodged a bullet in front of his Britannia home, agreed on the need for a Neighbourhood Watch.
"I think it's coming to the point where it should be considered and I think it will fly," Hopwood said.
The west end has seen a number of recent home invasions within a five-kilometre radius. The latest occurred Tuesday night in the Centrepointe neighbourhood.
On Monday morning, a pregnant 18-year-old woman was injured when five men invaded a Poulin Avenue home.
And earlier this summer, the body of 39-year-old Pamela Kosmack was recovered from a wooded area nearby. The mother of two was found dead near a bike path close to Britannia Road and Howe Street on June 4.
With a report from CTV Ottawa's Maggie Padlewska
