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Wednesday October II Paget Detective Keith Robertson says goodbye to the force Herald Staff Yes the cliche is true Most of what the general public learns about police work from American police television programs is an exaggeration Staff Detective Keith Robertson of Halton Regional Polices Division in Georgetown says It police work is about per cent paper work But when asked about what police do during the other 25 per cent of their time the normally calm and always cryptic detective shows some of his excite ment for the job saying it is usual out of the ordinary Its these types of incidents Robertson enjoys most about the job The work itself is a little dif there is nothing humdrum about it I could never imagine working in a actorv The 60year old detective is nig from the force todav day after years as a police of Although he is retiring today his retirement won t be official un til the end of this year The public might be surprised to learn these times of action Det Robertson relishes have never re quired that he pull the trigger of his Special Smith and Wesson I never fired my gun and 1 ve only had to pull it out a few times when checking out some break and entering incidents late at night Some of the more nerve wrack ing times occurred when I would be checking doors at three or four in the morning and a cat would jump out in front of you that would make your blood pressure rise he said Two most memorable in cidents for the detective involve the tragic and bizarre Det Robertson recalled the sad case in which a yopng boy and his grandmother were burned to death by the mother That incident oc curred at a farm just south of Ac ton the late 1970s The detective was working out of Georgetown when one night the Ac ton woman drove to Acton filled a gas container then returned to the farm and doused her familys home with gasoline She then lit a match and it was only minutes before the fire engulfed the house in flames The boy s and grand mothers charred bodies was all that was left he said The incident was even stranger he said because the woman set the fire while standing in the house doorway She received severe burns to her face Robertson said During the investigation police had intercepted letters the woman wrote to relatives warning them of the deed that was to un fold the investigation went on for mon because the harrassed Milton man couldnt think of who would want to damage his reputation and the letters were always post marked from a different city Police however were able to learn from the letters that the sender was the jealous type Police in vesti gated all of the mans previous relationships over the years and it wasnt until he told them about a girlfriend from years ago that police were able to track down the letter writing culprit It turned out the ex girlfriends Det Robertson said the woman told police her husband hadn t been paying enough attention to her The woman was committed to an institution While as a constable in Milton in the early 60s one of Det Robert son s first cases involved high pro file community members regular letters from throughout southern Ontario com plaining about the morals of a Milton man Although Del Robertson couldnt recall specifics he said band had quizzed the woman about her previous relationships and then went about defaming this one One of the strangest things about the case was neither men had known each other he said Not on ly that but the man had had no connection with the woman for years He could barely remember the woman s name Det Robertson said But Det Robertson said the largest investigation he has been involved in resulted from the fire at the Dominion Hotel in Acton Drivers needed for Childrens Aid Volunteer drivers are needed transport children for the Childrens Aid Society The drivers would take the children to and from ap pointments foster homes and family visits Coordinator Gerry Bud nark was dnving as a volunteer for four years and said drivers are an important part of the agency By using volunteer drivers we allow the social workers to spend more time actually work ing with the children and with families Mr Budnark said Because the drivers will be working with children they must submit two personal references and have a police check Once the application is accepted drivers are asked to sign a confidentiality oath and will receive an iden tif ication card A mileage rate is paid to the drivers and if they need to at a childs appointment the CAS will pay for snacks MAID SERVICE WHOS BEST The is donating his or her time Mr Budnark said We don t want this to cost them anything The average drive takes two hours including waiting time Even volunteers who can do one drive a week are wanted Although help is needed throughout Halton the trouble spots are and Milton during the day Interested volunteers should call Mr Budnark or Volunteer Supervisor Come Callow at 8211 MYGENEDYTION Fashions For The A Heart MAIN ST SGEORGETOWN flrm from Knox Church 873 DAY CARE Programs for children Sup Nutritious meals Ample inside and outside facilities to develop your child physically and mentally Experienced child workers on staff MAPLE ROCK DAY CARE CENTRE mm THEAWARD WINNER mm TV SHOW ID COAST For FREE Estimates call 87321 65 RITERION RUG CO v SALES SERVICE INSTALLATIONS CAfiPET TILE 126GUELPHST Georgetown 41618771012 during the late 70s It led to several people being charged with murder and arson he said Halton Hills is a relatively safe place Det Robertson said We rarely see homicides in the area Break and enters and thefts from cars make up the area s ma jor crimes he added Detective Robertson said unlike Toronto he doesnt believe there is a big drug problem in the north But if you ask someone else they might say there is When asked why he joined the police force Det Robertson says laughingly I often wonder why and then after a pause adds I think it has something to do with my father He always said if he I a farmer he would have ed to have been a police officer Det Robertson was brought up on a farm in rural Milton During his late teens and he worked in Sudbury for International Nickel served a year in Korea during 195051 and worked as a jail guard at Milton County Jail for six years Since joining the force at age he has worked out of Milton Oakville and Georgetown He started out as a constable and over the years was promoted to his cur rent rank of Det Sergeant He is responsible for the detectives assigned to 11 Division in Georgetown Through the years policing has become more sophisticated Det Robertson and he is proud of his contribution One of his career highlights was as a member of the committee that introduced and implemented the Heart Computer Sstem The has improved access to the force s records he explained Robertson went on to sa the computer is just one example of how the police force has become more ed When I started out the police of ficer did everything whether it be breaking up barroom fights or in vest iga ting domestic assaults But now we have specialized units to handle the different types of cases There is more manpower available communication and emergency responses are quicker and police have more expertise in identification But Det Robertson is thankful the past has not all been forgotten The force s push of preven has meant more officers are walking the beat instead of working out of cruisers as they did in the 70s he said Officers were losing touch with the public something Det Robertson said the force cannot afford to do But the difficulty these days is that there are so many more pie on the streets that police of fleers no longer know who people are or where thev come from he said If Det Robertson has one com plaint about the force it is the report writing skills of its officers As a Det Sergeant officers submit written reports of the complaints they have estigated He then will assign the case to the ap propriate crime unit so a follow up can be carried out But too manv times the officer s reports leave out necessary information fie said It s so bad sometimes that you might as well have done it vourself Sergeant Mike Eacrett will be taking over Det Robertsons duties and of the challenge ahead he savs 1 be happy if I can do as good a job as Keith In all his years as a police of ficer he Robertson has never become cynical he has kept things in perspective and had a sense of humor Immunization clinic Newcomers meet Halton Region is holding an munization clinic the second Tuesdav of each month The clinics alternate between the Georgetown office at Mam Street South and the Milton office at 251 Maui Street For an appointment call the health department office at 2238 The Georgetown Newcomers Club will hold its next meeting at St Andrew Church Road S at 7 30 m on Oct For more information contact Etta at Or Lon at SCISSORS FAMILY HAIR STYLING Under New Ownership Management Gina Wanda are available for your complete hair service SAVE Reg OnThisMth OCTOBER PERM SPECIAL oa SPIRAL WRAP SAVE Reg On This 60 SCISSORS FAMILY HAIR STYLING ST BESIDE BURGER KING