Parkdale is a neighbourhood in downtown Toronto. The neighbourhood is located west of Dufferin Street, between Dufferin and Roncesvalles Avenue. Parkdale is bordered by Lake Ontario in the south and Queen Street and Dundas Street in the north. Southwest Parkdale is considered one of the Toronto neighbourhoods with the most property crime. For the area south of the Gardiner Expressway which includes a portion of Parkdale, there are an average of 253.85 crimes against property per 1,000 people living and working in the area. There is an average of 19.23 crimes against people per 1,000 in that area. The area between Queen Street, King Street, Jameson Avenue and Dufferin Street has an average of 13.29 crimes against people and 29.38 crimes against people. From King Street south to the Gardiner Expressway (also between Jameson Avenue and Dufferin Street) there is 6.61 crimes against people and 19.48 crimes against property. West of Jameson and east of Roncesvalles Avenue, between Queen Street and the Gardiner, there is an average of 12.2 crimes against people and 20.03 crimes against property. Unfortunately, the types of crime in Parkdale range from breaking and entering and burglary to assault and even murder. In 2009, a teenager was killed when three men broke into an apartment building unit on Jameson Avenue in Parkdale. The three men broke into the apartment at the back of the building and used a low balcony to enter the victim’s unit.  A fight broke out in the apartment and the two men who were inside ran from the building. Both were shot. One teenager was killed while his 20-year-old friend was rushed to the hospital. The situation may have been drug-related. Unfortunately, easy to access balconies and back doors are often targets for criminals. They are typically easier to break into than front doors as most people are more relaxed in security when it comes to other entrances. The only way to keep your home safe is to protect all entry points with dead bolt locks and window bars. One weak entry point compromises the safety of your entire home. Another Parkdale murder took place in 2010 when a 20-year-old man was shot and killed in the Close Springhurst Parkette on Close Avenue. Police had little information on the case, but believe that it was also connected to drugs. More recently, a man wearing a balaclava committed many Parkdale-area assaults in 2011. A 31-year-old man was charged with murdering a 62-year-old Parkdale resident with mental health issues in June. The same man was also charged with assault charges stemming from two other attacks in the neighbourhood, in the area of Queen Street and Jameson Avenue. The man also faces assault charges for five other attacks in Parkdale. Police credited neighbours in the area for giving them the evidence and information they needed to catch the criminal. The best evidence that police can receive is video evidence from security cameras. Many criminals are identified and caught because of surveillance cameras. The importance of this footage cannot be overstated. In many cases, such as the ones listed above, security camera footage is the best possible way to capture a dangerous criminal. Installing surveillance cameras on your property is an excellent way to protect yourself from property crime as well as assault and other crimes against people.