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4- The Oakville Beaver, Friday September 28, 2007 www.oakvillebeaver.com THANKSGIVING SPECIAL AT DIETRICHS PLEASE PLACE ALL ORDERS IN ADVANCE MAKE YOUR Gangs migrating to Halton Continued from page 1 FRESH FREE RANGE TURKEYS CANADA GRADE A $ Our Famous 2 89 lb. GLAZED HAMS for only Fresh Gourmet · Apple Walnut Cinnamon Raisin · Traditional Sage · Cranberry & Cashew · Apricots & Smoked Ham · Sausage, Sage & Celery · Herb Provencal · English Sausage Meat · Wild Rice & Corn Bread STUFFING $ 4 lb. 99 $ A Boneless Black Forest Smoked Ham, pre-sliced, then glazed with your choice of Honey Mustard, Orange Marmalade or Canadian Maple and decorated with fruit. 3 /L 29 lb. Halton Police Chief Gary Crowell notes that police initiatives like this one are necessary since the presence of a street gang in a community represents danger to local residents and the police who protect them. "These street gangs pose varying levels of threat. Some are loosely coupled groups, while others are well integrated with links to other organized crime groups," stated Crowell in an information report to members of the Police Services Board on Thursday. "Drug trafficking and involvement with the sex trade have also led to public violence over turf control, creating public fear and threatening community and officer safety. Street gang presence and violence, and their destabilizing effects, can be related to a number of street level drugs including the distribution of cocaine and crack cocaine. These addictions become motive for robberies, break and enters and auto thefts." Crowell also noted that gang problems are not solely the city of Toronto's anymore, as street gangs have migrated to smaller "These street gangs pose varying levels of threat. Some are loosely coupled groups, while others are well integrated with links to other organized crime groups." Halton Police Chief Gary Crowell communities like Halton. "You don't always see it, but it is there and we're seeing an increase on a daily basis," he said. At present, police note, gangs have been able to operate fairly freely in the absence of sustained, coordinated resources dedicated to deal with them. This gang advantage is helped by the fact that police operate in a reactive mode, where they don't act until something happens. However, with the June 2007 arrival of $1,260,000 from the provincial government for the creation of a Golden Horseshoe integrated guns and gangs task force, those days would appear to be over. Drawing on the Halton Regional Police, Hamilton Police, Niagara Regional Police and Brantford Police Services, each service has agreed to dedicate one member to work on the task force on a full-time basis. It was also agreed that Halton Police would provide a supervisor who would act as team leader for the joint force. "The joint operation will concentrate on the mutual sharing of intelligence information, surveillance and the utilization of a rapid deployment response team that will be deployed to obtain evidence against street gang members and their associates," stated Crowell. "Both surveillance and visible enforcement activity will be utilized to address the activities of these groups through the constant and sustained application of pressure." The task force will also work to identify important illegal events such as border crossing dates and gang-related meetings. They will also be working to identify community events where there is an increased risk of gang involvement and a threat to public safety. Fresh Homemade Make Your Dinner Complete GRAVIES $ Choose from a large selection of Dufflet Pastries & LaRocca Bakery CAKES 499 $299 /500mL Enjoy White Wine or Homestyle Flavours We will be sampling our Gourmet Stuffing and Homemade Gravies on Fri. & Sat., Oct. 5 & 6. You'll probably never make your own again! If you have any specific requests please let us know. Our helpful and knowledgeable staff are eager to please. PROUDLY SERVING OAKVILLE SINCE 1986 MEAT WAREHOUSE 905-847-5295 3rd Line 1260 SPEERS X Unit 13 4th Line N HOLIDAY HOURS: Tuesday-Friday 10-7; Sat 8-4 Closed Thanksgiving Sunday Dorval 1260 Speers Rd., Unit 13, Oakville QEW