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Wednesday December Page 11 Its the law Take your keys with you when you leave the car the Herald It a Saturday and you re crav for a peanut nutter and jam sandwich and a big glass of milk But the refrigerator is empty You get into the car and zip over to the local variety store To save time you leave the cat running while you dash into thestore You return in what you swear was only two minutes to find that you ve been charged with leaving the keys in the ignition Astonishment might be in your first reaction Leaving the keys in the ignition is an offence you ask yourself in credulously It is and Staff Sergeant Trevor Hay of the Regional Police Georgetown says it the number one reason fo- car thefts in the Region don know how many turns has left their ir running run into variety store and minutes later come out and found their car stolen sir StaffSgt Hay Halton Regional crime tion officer Sergeant Dave Gwilliams says there were car thefts in the Hills area in 1988 That s an increase of over car thefts over There were 41 car thefts two ago Sgt Gwilliams said The general public usually learns about the different offences outlined in the criminal code the Highway Traffic Act and those that come under the town bylaws through the media But people should realize then art several seemingly minor offences such as leaving the car keys in the ignition for five minutes that are committed almost daily To the frugal car owner Sgt Hay says get that muffler fixed or fact a possible charge under the of allowing unnecessary smoke to emit from the exhaust pipe He also has a warning for the James Dean types of Halton Hills Cool it on the thresh mufflers that enhance noise rather than muffling it and especially the and screeching of car tires Police officers except in cases of domestic assault offences can lay a charge at their discretion But like all people Staff Sgt Hay says police officer- have pet peeves And his ib screeching tires Anytime I was on the street and I heard tires squeciing I d pull the driver over The town Hollywood stars should realize if thev insist on masking their identity behind tinted windows better not plan on doing too muth partying Staff says while tinted glass windows are legal police hive to be able to set into people cars at all times H says can see into tars witn tinted glass windows the day hut it possible at night Besides but lesser known offences people might al like to takL note of some of the more obscure offences with which thej can be charged If anyone in Halton Hills is plan rung to sell secrets to the Russians or disrupt the Queen of England next visit to the Region whenever that might be think again Staff Hay warns they can be charg ed with high treason or exciting the Queen He says it safe to say no officers at 11 Division in Georgetown have ever had to lay either of these charges Under the criminal code the most common charges laid are im paired driving domestic assault and theft says Staff Sgt Hay Under the HTA they are stop light and stop sign infractions offences and speeding He said drivers should be aware that slowing down to the speed limit when they see a police car ahead will not stop them from get ting a ticket The radar guns are so powerful these days that they have recorded the speeding offence before drivers can see the police officer said Staff Sgt Hay He also warns that police don need a radar gun to ticket a speeder If a police officer thinks someone is speeding he will dnve behind that person at a speed above the speed limit and if the distance between the two vehicles doesnt decrease well you can guess the rest Staff Hay also points police don t even need a car to lay charges of speeding The village constable in Milton Larry Brassard has put pieces of tape at each end of a road He then stands at one end with a stop watch and when a car travels the distance of the marked strip in less time than it takes while travelling at the speed limit he got you GEORGETOWN PHOTO PLAY SANTA AND SAVE POLAROID Sun IMS Camera Beg Cool Cam Camera Spectra Camera VIDEO CASSETTES Reg 7 NOW 5W POLAROID SX Sole Reg 00 Photos POLAROID SUPER COLOUR Reg MILTON PHOTO GEO PHOTO Milton Mall Marketplace Plaza 5 Mill St 8783361 8731237 These are just four of the 100 music students from and who participated in the annual Ontario Conservatory of Music Christmas recital at the John Theatre night The organ piano and guitar were the featured in during the performances group teacher looks on during the performance The is located on Street in Georgetown Herald photo SHORTCUT TO GOVERNMENT INFORMATION FAST AMD EASY Do you have questions about programs and services offered by the Government of Canada Reference Canada will steer you to the right person in the right office where your inquiries will be answered Avoid the long and winding road take the easy direct route to Reference Canada In Ontario Call Otawa TDD 6139957151 6139520845 North Bay TDD 7054764910 705 Toronto TDD 416 4169738099 Toll free 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