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in si de ha lto n. co m O ak vi lle B ea ve r | T hu rs da y, Ja nu ar y 2, 20 20 | 2 Tanner discussed the prov- ince's move during a Dec. 19 meet- ing of the Halton Police Board. He said he had been speaking with representatives of the Minis- try of the Solicitor General in hopes of getting them to reconsid- er their position, but says he was told in early December that the decision would not be reversed. Halton police currently have three PLOs who work full-time at Maplehurst Correctional Com- plex and the Vanier Centre for Women in Milton. These officers, Tanner noted, carry out criminal investigations inside the prison for which Hal- ton police receive funding from the province. This year that funding amounted to $400,000. With the province's decision, Halton police will no longer re- ceive this funding and the three Halton officers will be removed from Maplehurst on Jan. 15. Tanner has voiced concerns about the potential efficiency and budget issues this will cause, giv- en that Halton police will still have to conduct criminal investi- gations at Maplehurst. But now without provincial funding to help cover the cost. "It's been a very frustrating process, and ultimately this is a completely arbitrary decision made by the correctional services side of the ministry - to remove the $400,000 that we received an- nually to have our three detec- tives in Maplehurst," said Tan- ner. "We will still have to respond to a variety of occurrences there. We'll come up with an alternate response methodology to try and minimize the times we go to Ma- plehurst. ... We need to minimize the impact of Maplehurst on the Halton Police budget and on the taxpayers of Halton." Assistant deputy minister Christina Danylchenko said in a letter to Tanner that moving for- ward, correctional services will leverage its own intelligence re- sources to gather intelligence within facilities to identify poten- tial threats, prevent drug traffick- ing and detect contraband. She said the province is mov- ing to establish a standardized ap- proach to police engagement across the correctional system, which will ensure a consistent and effective response to criminal matters, and improve collabora- tion and intelligence gathering. Tanner argued the decision, in addition to being bad for Halton taxpayers, will yield no real sav- ings for the province. "Corrections staff are going to have to take on work that was previously done by our officers, outside of the criminal investiga- tions area, and I think that will cost at least half if not more of the $400,000," he said. "They could have had all this level of service and the assistance to the correctional officers, who have a horrendous job inside that facility. In my view, this program should have carried on. It was a small investment for the value." Danylchenko has said this change would have no impact on the safety and security of Maple- hurst or the Vanier Centre. She noted the same process is in place at 21 institutions across the prov- ince, which do not have PLOs on- site. Tanner said those 21 institu- tions are small prisons, and as such having no PLOs makes sense, because police are only called upon to conduct criminal investigations every now and again. Maplehurst, Tanner pointed out, has about 1,800 inmates and is the site of one-third of the as- saults that take place in Halton. NEWS Continued from page 1 THREE HALTON OFFICERS WILL BE REMOVED FROM MAPLEHURST JAN. 15 The Province has decided to decommission three Halton police officers stationed at Maplehurst Correctional Complex, which includes the Vanier Centre for Women. Graham Paine/Torstar STORY BEHIND THE STORY: We attended a meeting of the Halton Police Board where the Province's decision to no longer fund police liaison officers was discussed. We also interviewed Halton Police Chief Stephen Tanner following the meeting for additional information. a division of Metroland Media Group Ltd. • 77,000 listings to browse from • 45,000 agents to connect with • Offers the best demographic and local info • Notifications when new homes are available that meet your criteria • Follow a listing and get updates (price changes, open house, sold) • Flexible search parameters • Advanced mapping technologies Why use HomeFinder.ca? Find your PERFECT matcH! a division of Metroland Media Group Ltd. • 77,000 listings to browse from • 45,000 agents to connect with • Offers the best demographic and local info • Notifications when new homes are available that meet your criteria • Follow a listing and get updates (price changes, open house, sold) • Flexible search parameters • Advanced mapping technologies Why use HomeFinder.ca? Find your PERFECT matcH!