Community Corner

New Town Increases Residential Security to Accommodate After-School Crime

G4S Security Solutions has increased its patrol hours by 30 percent and widened the window of time that patrols are out and about in New Town.

Don't be surprised when you spot a uniformed guard patrolling the residential areas of New Town in broad daylight. That's the point, said Daniel Bralove, president of the Owings Mills New Town Community Association. 

Security has been adjusted to better suit the area's crime trends, Bralove said, which he presented at a  last month. He was joined by representatives from G4S Security Solutions, the international security firm the association enlisted to patrol New Town starting March 19.

Patrol hours have since been increased by about 30 percent despite the crime rate in New Town being relatively low, at about .003 percent per 10,000 residents in 2010, Bralove said.

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Bralove has said that some of the crime in the area coincides with schools' dismissal times. The most common crime includes vandalism, burglaries and car theft, according to Bralove's analysis.

New Town's security strategy will evolve based on needs, trends and results, and the firm's costs will remain at under $50,000 a year, he said.

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