GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — According to police, officers average about five forced entry crimes per week on the West Side of Grand Rapids and the numbers have been relatively consistent.
However, if you take a look at the We Are Westsiders Facebook page, there are countless posts about cars and homes being broken into and vandalized.
"There have been a lot of posts on Facebook about different community pages about the break-ins and larcenies happening here on the West Side," West Grand Neighborhood Organization Executive Director Annette Vandenberg said.
Some think thefts, vandalism and break-ins are not out of the norm for residents living on the West Side.
"It's pretty common in the area though," neighbor Hector Beals said. "We've been in our home for 15 years, we've always had things stolen. It kind of just goes with the neighborhood."
He says he noticed two bicycles were missing from his backyard on Saturday.
"We didn't expect them to be stolen, our gate is locked and it's pretty tall, so we weren't expecting it to be stolen," Beals said.
Footage from Beal's surveillance camera early Saturday morning shows people taking the bikes from their yard:
"We saw them walk up to the fence and walk over our gate and then just grabbed the bikes and throw them over to the kid on the other side of the gate," Beals said.
Vandenberg says there hasn't been an increase in this kind of crime as compared to this time last year.
"Has there been an increase in any kind of criminal activity? The answer is yes. It's graffiti though," Vandenberg said. "The business district here on West Leonard is getting hit with a lot of graffiti lately."
Although she said the thefts and larceny reports have not increased, she's not surprised it's happening.
"Crime always increases in the summertime," Vandenberg said.
There are steps you can take to make your property less attractive to thieves.
"We've encouraged neighbors to get cameras, there are lots of camera apps out there that are very inexpensive, Vandenberg said. "Getting to know your neighbors is also important because then you know if somebody is a stranger or not."
Beals said it's all part of living in a community.
"In any neighborhood, you have to be a little prepared for that kind of thing," Beals said. "You can't be afraid to make the call to police. It's not an inconvenience. It's their job to take a look at what's going on."
Vandenberg is noticing an increase in the homeless population on the West Side and her organization is trying to reach out to them to find out why they're here and how they can help them get back on their feet.
The neighborhood organization has partnered with the city and Grand Valley State University to hand out safety brochures and light bulbs to neighbors to keep the outside of their homes lit up at night.
►Make it easy to keep up to date with more stories like this. Download the 13 ON YOUR SIDE app now.
Have a news tip? Email news@13onyourside.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter.