Movie Nights in the Park
Knowing your neighbours is such an easy and cost effective form of crime prevention, and yet getting to know our neighbours is not always easy. In an effort to bring neighbours together we introduced Movie Nights in the Park. Ten years ago the Collingwood Community Policing Centre hosted our first Movie Night in the Park in response to crime and public disorder occurring in a particular neighbourhood. We started with an 84 inch movie screen and a nice little sound system. As a result of meeting at the movie, the neighbours:
- Started talking to one another about their concerns in the neighbourhood
- Started working together to make their neighbourhood safer
- Joined the Adopt-A-Block program
- Reported criminal activity when they see it
- Called the city when they see street lights burnt out, parks overgrown, or graffitti on public spaces
And, just as important, they do not feel alone; they have discovered their neighbours.
The Movie Nights in the Park proved be a very successful program in building relationships between the CPC, VPD, and the neighbours. It created opportunities for the neighbours to learn about crime trends and to become actively involved making their neighbourhood safer.
Movie Nights in the Park has since grown to include two series each summer, Family Movie Nights in the Park and the International Film Festival. To enhance your viewing experience, our movies are now shown on a 22 by 11 foot inflatable screen with a great sound system.
Check out our upcoming movie schedule for our summer season!
