A Strathcona resident says the recent smashing of at least a dozen car windows in her neighbourhood is just one example of an increase in crime in the area.

Lauren Barnett said she received a phone call from her husband at about 9 a.m. Tuesday, letting her know he heard from a neighbour that one of the rear windows of her car had been broken.

"I immediately threw the phone and just sort of ran outside and found ... my neighbour standing there by my car," she said. "Nothing was stolen, it was just pure vandalism."

While talking to her neighbour, Barnett said a police officer walked by and told them he was responding to similar incidents in the area, just west of downtown Hamilton.

Police said they did not yet know the total number of people targeted as reports continued to come in throughout the day, but it could be more than a dozen.

Barnett, who has lived on her street for the last six years, said she believes what's happening in the area is a "symptom of a much larger problem."

"Everybody in the neighbourhood understands that there's a lot of issues," she said. "It's very complicated with gentrification and there's obviously people ... struggling with addiction and homelessness in the neighbourhood."

Const. Lorraine Edwards said police continued to gather information after receiving several calls Tuesday from people who had their car windows smashed overnight in the area bounded by Dundurn Street, York Boulevard, Queen Street and Main Street West.

In some cases, items were stolen from inside the vehicles, she said.

Police will know more after further investigation, such as following up on leads and checking surveillance cameras, Edwards said.

"It's so early right now that we're just really trying to grab the proper information to figure out where we need to go with it."

The sooner residents contact police about what happened by filing a report online or on the phone, the sooner further action can be determined, Edwards said.

Before the recent window smashing, Barnett said she and her neighbours had already started an informal "community watch" through Facebook and have connected with police about their presence in the area.

She said she has confronted a burglar inside her neighbour's house while the neighbour slept upstairs, her car has been broken into, and the community Facebook group has received reports of stolen strollers, tools and bikes.

Many in the neighbourhood have installed cameras, and residents file police reports for incidents of vandalism and break-ins, Barnett said.

As a dog walker, she said she often drives around the city and sees the challenges sparked by addiction, poverty and affordable housing.

"I think it's important to remember that ... the vandalism is a symptom of much larger social issues that need to be addressed," Barnett said. "Hopefully ... we can come to a solution if the community sort of bands together and we can fix it."

npaddon@thespec.com

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