CHICAGO (WGN-TV) — A group of private armed security guards is set to begin patrolling a portion of Chicago’s Bucktown neighborhood due to a rise in carjackings and crime this year.

The Bucktown Neighbors Association is hiring P4 — a private security firm with offices in downtown Chiago and in Downers Grove, Illinois.

The hiring comes after Chicago police have issued multiple carjacking and armed robbery community alerts in the area this year. Last month, police issued the latest after nearly 20 armed robberies.

A Bucktown resident named Vanessa said it’s a shame it has come to this, but she welcomes the patrols.

“I recently heard about a dad taking his baby out of the back and was carjacked and so now with a newborn I am more scared about it,” she said.

Ald. Brian Hopkins, whose ward encompasses part of Bucktown, said he understands where the neighborhood is coming from.

“They are taking matters into their own hands out of frustration and fear and they feel like they’re being targeted and preyed upon on a nightly basis,” said Hopkins. “Which they are.”