Port Moody Police Department

Crime Free Multi-Housing Program

This program is designed to help residents, owners and managers of rental property, in cooperation with the police, to keep illegal activity away from rental properties, The result of this team effort is a safer, more habitable environment in which to live.

This program has three phases:

Phase One: Landlords attend a one day seminar presented by the B.C. Crime Prevention Association-Crime Free Multi-Housing committee. Topics include: Crime Prevention Concepts, Preparing and Maintaining the Property, Applicant Screening, To Serve and Protect, Residential Tenancy Office, and Combating Illegal Activities.

Phase Two: The rental properties must meet minimum security standards. The police agency will conduct the security evaluations.

Phase Three: The landlords will host a Safety Social for their residents to begin the stages of promoting and apartment community. A police representative will be in attendance to explain the program and present crime prevention concepts. The landlord will display a bulletin board posting local community events and public safety information.

Following the completion of all three phases the property management will earn the privilege to post signs stating they have joined their local Crime Free Multi-Housing Program and may use the CFMHP logo for marketing purposes.

This program is the only one of its kind in Canada. Since its inception five years ago by Tim Zehring of the Mesa Arizona Police Departments, it has been introduced to police personnel and landlords in nearly 1000 cities in North America. New Westminster was the first city in Canada to adopt the program. Evaluations conducted by the New Westminster Police Service indicate that over 90% of property managers who have completed the training are making successful changes in the way they manage their property. Participating apartment communities have experienced a decrease in police calls for service anywhere from 20% to 70%.

In British Columbia, the Crime Free Multi-Housing Program has since been adopted in other communities, including Abbotsford, Burnaby, Campbell River, Coquitlam, Langely, Nanaimo, New Westminster and Port Moody. Over 200 police personnel around the province have received training on how to implement the program in their jurisdiction. In August 1997, the CFMH program became a division of the B.C. Crime Prevention Association.

For further information, call the B.C. Crime Prevention Association at 604-594-1552