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th ei fp .c a Th e IF P -H al to n H ill s | T hu rs da y, A ug us t 13 ,2 02 0 | 8 INNIAGARAFALLSSTARTINGFROMTHE$57O'Ks Mon toWed & Sat and Sun, 1 to 5pm and by appointment. Call: 905.680.6000 Contemporary bungalow townhome community, Legends on the Green offers luxury living in the heart of Niagara. Minutes from the best golfing in Niagara and the perfect small boat launch for afternoons on thewater. LUXURYBUNGALOWTOWNS IN ST. CATHARINES FROM THE HIGH $800K's Overlooking a beautiful ravine along the banks of Niagara's Twelve Mile Creek. Village on the Twelve is only minutes from downtown St. Catharines, shops, boutiques, cafés, pubs and the newly built, state-of-the-art Performing Arts Centre. By Appointment Only. Call: 905.680.6000 Prices & specifications subject to change without notice. E. & O.E. Unit 57, 8974 Willoughby Dr, Niagara Falls, ON (Take Lyon's Creek Exit) Silvergatehomes.com BUNGALOWURBANTOWNS 100 Martindale Road, St. Catharines, ON OVER 50% SOLD!FIRST RELEASE IS 75% SOLD! *Up to 5 Ltr. Limited time offer *Upgrade to synthetic from $15 extra Certified Mechanics on Duty 905-877-1237 TIRES! All Sizes All BrandsA Heavy Duty Diesel Oil Change $149.95+ TAX *T6 Rotella synthetic upgrade $239.95 *most standard heavy duty trucks up to 11L Euro Oil Change Full Synthetic $189.95 + TAX *most standard euro vehicles up to 8L JUST ASK! Best Pricing on All Products This story is part of a Metroland-wide series on drugs, guns and human trafficking happening along the major highways that run through our com- munities. For more on this topic visit Highway Pirates -- guns, drugs and human trafficking. As street gangs from large urban centres made their way across the prov- ince to operate their crimi- nal enterprises -- includ- ing drug trafficking, fire- arms-related offences, and human trafficking -- the impact can also be felt in the region. That's according to Det. Sgt. Paul Foley, of Halton Police's Drug and Human Trafficking Unit. "Our communities have experienced some gun vio- lence, which has been per- petrated by street level gangs," Foley said, noting that there hasn't been a high degree of organized and structured gang activ- ity at a grassroots level. Despite the increase in frequency of firearms re- lated seizures and inci- dents in recent years, a list that includes a string of "violent" bank robberies earlier in the year, he says the region continues to be the safest large municipal- ity in Canada, as backed by a Statistics Canada report last year. "Halton has the lowest crime severity index of all municipalities with a pop- ulation of 100,000 or more for the 14th straight year," he said. The region, like others, is at risk to street gang ac- tivity due to the highways travelling across its boundaries, and Halton Police continues to work with provincial and mu- nicipal partners to strate- gically address gang and weapon related issues, Fo- ley said. Internally, the police have implemented a co-or- dinated response involv- ing a wide number of in- vestigate and support units to address violent crime associated to gang activity. As part of the public ed- ucation initiative, they work with special interest community groups, and appoint high school liaison officers to reach out to the youth in the community. CRIME DOES HALTON HAVE A GUN VIOLENCE ISSUE? #HIGHWAYPIRATES: GUNS, DRUGS AND HUMAN TRAFFICKING IN YOUR OWN BACKYARD BAMBANG SADEWO bsadewo@metroland.com See - page 9