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PAGE 4, WEDNESDAY, MAY 4,1977, WHITBY FREE PRESS whitby Voice of. the County Town Mîi The only Whitby newspaper independently owned anîd oper SERVING OVER 28,000 READERS <e Burgess, Publisher-Managing Editor rated by Whiitby residents for Wfltby res.icents. Publislîed every Wednesdayc by M.B.M. Publisbing Phione 668-611il The Free Press Building, 121 Brock Street North, P.O. Box 206, Whitby, Ont._ Dommunity Editor Contributing Editor Prodluction Manager Print & Promotional Mianager Classified Ad Manager Circulation Manager -Jim Quail -Marje Burgess -Robin Lyofl -Marlefle 1Bromr -Sharon LyIn Mailing Permit No, 460 Member of the: Better Business Bureau of Toronto Whitby Chamb ffommerce Over 300 r eaders s ay we .n eed On Thursday morning the fate of Wlitby's police station will be decided for the remiainder of this year--whether it will be open 24 hours a day, or froni 9 a.m. to 5 pým. Mayor i Gartshore and our regional couincillors, Gerry Emin andi Joy Tiîompson wvil iîîake a deterniined effort to have the necessary miley put back into the police budget to ensure that the station remains open 24 hours a day, instead of the 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. proposaI presently in the regional budget. Replies to the Whitby Free Press Police Station Survey published last wveek were 100O per cent ini favor of keeping the station open 24 lîours a day. By nioon Tuesdav replies represcnting more thanl 310 Whitby residents lîad beeîî received at our office, an-d more were comning ini. These will be turiîed over to Mayor Gartshore for presentation to the regional couincil Thursday. Many readers were very definite ini their opinions about the police station and police service ini general ini Whitby. The foilowiîîg is a sample of what our readers said in reply to our survey: AN INVITATION TO BURGLARS "Decreasing police service rneans inviting burglars and their friends to visit fast growing Whitby dLring the hours the police station is closed. Walking along streets at iîight would be dangerous for ofdcer people, because robbers of teîî are cowards and attack not strong people, but especially the weak who can't defeîid themselvcs. Saying "There are not many complaints niow" is not a motive, because you can't compare with the situation wfth less police service". MORE CRIME IF CLOSED "There will only be miore crime if it's closed at niglits". A COMMUNITY RESOURCE "We need our policemen: They are a commnunity resource CLOSURE 15 UNREALISTIC "It is unrealistic for a commutnity of the suze of Whitby to be without police protection other than on a 24-hour basis, espccially withi the crime rate soaring as it is". IT'S WORTH HIGHER TA, "It would eveîî be wortlî putting o11 the taxes, if nccessary to keep ti 24 lîours a day!" NOT SAFE TO BE OUI "I 1ersonallY tiik tlîat the 'A Station should be openi 24 lirs. a day forced to tie road ini day-iiglit witlî, a couple of boys. If it hiad,î't bec, îîear nie, j doîî't know wlîat would and witli umental patients ail arouind, to be ouit aîîy more day or nigh,èt".' NEED PROPER PROTECTIC( "For the amnount of taxes I pay feel I sliotild hiave proper police pro fromn 9 a.mî. to 5 p.m., but 24 hours a d POLICE SELDOMIIN DOWNT, "I very seldomn sec a police officer towi arca; oîîly Mlien the question is c DONT LET BUILDING STANII ",Why let ail expeuisive anîd useful b idle, probably at a cost ini the enîd, of will keep to keep it open uîow?" INCREASING POPULAT19 "Witlî increasiuîg sections of ilem pop)ulationi we îîeed full-time police p: UNFEASIBLE IF NOT 24 HI( "INith tie ever-increasing 1)0pula t Whiitby, aidthie spread of tirbalîiz.tic uufeasible to operate vitli aîytliin 24-houir police stationi!" A RETROGRADE STEI "To close tlîe local police station on1e more retrograde stel) thiat lias about by Regional goveruniient opinion, we could vcry well do vil were more ini evideuice 25 years ago 2 or 3 day officers anîd onîe mian 0on To sec a policeman on foot ini Whil is a Rare Siglit, yet we are payin, prol)ortioIiateIy tlian ini tlîe past, î)ri govcrruiiieiit. We have a regular r Hcenry St. witlî uîot too mîuch clonu speeclers. The pictures of regional gi 24-hour policûe station XES painted for us prior to inception and wlîat we have ;anl extra miiil were entirely mnisleading". C stationi opeii WE ARE NOT A SUBURB 0F OSHAWA "The anlticipated growth of Whitby wilI warrent r more meni and womien in the future. We can be Vliitby Police very sure that if our police station is C1'LOSED it y. Onice 1 was wiIl NEVER be reopenied. As citizens of.a large armi iii cast by town we have the right to have a Police Station i for a couple HERE--we are not a suburb of OSHAWA. One of lia ppenied, gets the feelinig that there are som-e plans for the it is uîot safe future of the land on wiîiclî our station is buit. If the buildinig is closed, what plans has who ever :)N lias owncrship of thie lanid?" ech year, 1 LOST ENOUGH TO OSHAWA tection; îîot "If tlie Whitby station is closed and in a few la Y. ',years wlien we need more police, they will take 'OWN thiem to Oshîawa. We have lost enough to Oshawa". i i le downi POLICE ARE A COMFORT omi'ing up'* "I feel we need a police station openî 24 hrs. per ) IDLE day, as Whitby covers a vast area. Also it is a )tiildiig- stanîd comffort to know the police are only a short as mnuch as it distance away if needed". LEAVE US ALONE ON ~"I thinlk it's just about timne that the city of v OtsNg Oshawa quit trying to run our towni. Look what Soe sing and they've donc to tlîeir own city. Leave us atone, rotecion." and we'll get along just fine" DURS NO WAY i<>n growth iii (A 9 a.mn. to 5 p.m. police station)-" With ili, it is totally 26,000 population, no way. Too bad Whitby can't g less thanl a get out of the mess, Overloaded with high salaried personnel at the top." PLIKE TO SEE FOOT PATROL %vouId be jtIst "I wouid like to sec an officer at the four corners beei brought on1 foot patrol"'. which 15 iiy ESTABLISHED FACT tliout. Police "It lias always been established that a mnunicipal- wliein we had ity the size of Whitby needs a 24-hr police statioii." duty at iîight. --- - - ------ by tihese days Tliese are onily some of the commiients we have ýg muitch more received regarding the p)olice stationi conitroversy. or to regiolia I Tomiorrow we wili know if we have wvon our case or race ~ trcki ot. More tlian 310 people have spoken out but, ce to cLlrb the onily thie 30 rnilil)rs of regional couincil ovt. that wvere can mnake the decision. Prospective Liberal candidate says: Godfrey plicture Dear Sir: That picture of Doctor Louise Warrenden nearly Charles Godfrey posing took Uip haif of the front with that lovely tee- page andi gave Mr.Godfrey totaller, Mrs. Alberta a lot of free publicity Senior citi"zens worried about police protectieon Dear Editor: theprotests of the Couincil The Board of Directors and Citizens of the ToMn of the Whitby Senior of Whitby over the suggest- Activity Centre gave ed part closing of the expression to their con Whitby Police Station, cern about the threaten- and the decreasecl Poticing ing decrease in police- and protection of property service in Whitby and sent in the over-ail area of the the following letter to Municipality of the Town the Chairman of the of Whitby. Region of Durlham: In other words Uie "Dear Mr. Beatli: Memibership go on Record At a merting of the as in opposition to the Bo.àrd of Directors oif the closing of the Whitby Centre a resolution carr- Police Station ini àny way, ied unanirnously that a shape or forr-n". letter go to the Region of Richard F. Engia nd, 1)urliam from Uthc Direc- cliairmlai and Frank J. tors'and the Menbership Steffler, Treasuirer anîd of theCetespotg actingsecretary. a "cheap poli*tical p ublicity stun t" for.the cong< election. But chon't yoi think that t hc public shou 11( al1so know tIla t Mr. Godfrey is going around bragging that lie got the big beer and licluor ware- house (whichi will be s0 autornatecl it will not rcally employ many people at allU for Whitby. For years Whiitby lias been trying to live down the stigma of that othier medicaily-inspircd d rUg institution, the Wlitby Mental Hospital. And here wc have Doctor Godfrey pushing soiîie- thir-g th,-ýt Mrs. Warrendlei would, no doubt, abhior as slic attribUtes lier long ife to no drinking or smoking. Wlîatever God frey does fo r publicity, doesn't, nornially interest me although lie sece-ns to liave abandoned the scrcarning hecadlines lie always got for his othier publicity stunts like tlîe airport, andi probably abanclonecl thîe people involvcd as we 1l. But what cocs intercst nie is that The Whitby Erec Press would let Gochfrey use a nice young lady like th-at as a chcap political publicty stunt. My congratulations will go to Mrs. Warrendcn, but 1 should say tlîat 1 am phoning lier to let lier know that we in Wlhitby are I)roud of fier and the good clean life she has lived which couid serve as a modhe] to mnany others. Yours very truly, Glenn Julhin Grecuîwood, P.O. Ont. EDITOR'S NOTE Dr. Godfrcy's picture with Mrs. Warrenden was not a publicity stuîît in any way. We askcd Dr. Godfrey if wc could take the picture, because a Wlitby resîdent was being hionored by the Provincial Govertumient. 1ut i S a î)olicy o0f the Provinicial Goverîment to award the riding in which s] plaques for special birtth- -,.esides. We cormnmend t] cîays andc anniversarjies, provincial govcrnment fi andh this is a totally nion- its 1policy of hionorii l)mrtisan policy. Dr. citizens of this provinc Godfrey presented the and it sIould liot mnatt plaquie to Mrs. Warreniden what the presenter because he happens to be political affiliation is,î the sitting memiber for a mnatter sucli as this. Cutting police services lie the ror ing er in will cause man to move Dear Editor: As'a parent anid Lomne- owîîer iii Whiitby 1 amn conceried witli the thîought of. Durhiam Regional Council closing the Police Station. Must we fighît thiis issue every year? Is it not clear to the Regionial Council that the majority of the people want thie local force lcft iii Whitby. Statisties s'row anl incerease ini crime iii otir area anid, wvith the ii creased ,populationi expected fromii the ilewcr subdivisionswe canexpeet evcî nmore. My reason for mnoving to Whitby was becauise I find it a friendly place and because we like the town. 1 wiIl not g-ive ini with- out expressing m-y disgust and frustration witli the peophe' who feel the answer to saving dollars is cut back on nccessary services. Shouhd this hiapl)en, 1 will consider very seriouisly, iiiovilig froin thîis lovely town. Youirs very t7tly,