Police urge vigilance after woman mugged near Gerrard Square shopping centre
Police are urging people to be vigilant after a woman was violently mugged Thursday, Dec. 6 at about 6:30 p.m. by the foot bridge near the Gerrard Square shopping centre at Pape Avenue.
Police are urging people to be vigilant after a woman was violently mugged Thursday, Dec. 6 at about 6:30 p.m. by the foot bridge near the Gerrard Square shopping centre at Pape Avenue.
The victim was reportedly walking alone from the mall toward the parking lot of the neighbouring No Frills grocery store when the unidentified suspects, who are still outstanding, followed her and struck her several times before removing her purse.
Const. Jon Morrice, 55 Division’s crime prevention officer, offered the following suggestions for avoiding falling victim to such a crime:
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• Be aware of your surroundings
• Shop in pairs, when possible
• Choose well lit, heavily travelled routes
• Limit the amount of parcels being carried
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• Act on instincts; if it doesn’t feel right, it probably isn’t.
Further, Morrice said that while this type of crime hasn’t been happening a lot, there is an increase in incidents of this sort in the month of December as the opportunity or "victim pool" increases.
"People are carrying shopping bags with lucrative items in them, people have more cash on them and people are distracted during this season," he said.
When it comes to Christmas shopping, Morrice encouraged people to be a "hard target" for thieves by limiting the amount of cash they’re carrying, always being aware of their surroundings, not walking with too many parcels, and not having their purse hanging loosely on their body.
Anyone with information about this incident is asked to contact police at 416-808-5500, Crime Stoppers anonymously at 416-222-TIPS (8477), online at www.222tips.co, or text TOR and your message to CRIMES (274637). Tips can also be left on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/TorontoPolice. There’s also a free Crime Stoppers Mobile App on iTunes, Google Play or Blackberry App World.
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