www.insideHALTON.com |OAKVILLE BEAVER |Thursday, January 19, 2017 |10 Halton police have new business plan to guide service into future by Nathan Howes Oakville Beaver Staff After much public consultation, Halton police have a new business plan to steer the service from 2017-2019. The Halton Regional Police Services Board recently approved its 2017-19 Business Plan, which outlines its accomplishments since the 2014-16 Corporate Business Plan, as well as goals to accomplish over the next three years. Extensive consultation with various stakeholders and members of the community and police were undertaken to ensure the goals reflect current concerns. O U RW IN TEREXHIBITIO NS O P ENTHISSU N D A Y! ETELADNAN: SEA AND FOG O a k v i lle G a l le r ie s in G a i r lo c h G a r d e n s O p e n in g : S u n d a y 22 J a n u a r y f r o m 3 :3 0 p m - 5 : 0 0 p m F re e g u id e d t o u r : S a t u r d a y 4 F e b r u a r y , 2 :0 0 p m "Responding to community needs remains at the forefront of our policing initiatives and this plan will be the main driver of our annual work plan and budgets," said Oakville Mayor Rob Burton, police services board chair, in a media release. Halton Police Chief Steve Tanner affirms the plan will be referred to when budgets and operational decisions are made for police. Through consultation, the service has refined its themes and goals, resulting in a comprehensive list of four key priority areas and associated goals that will guide its activities through 2019. The plan outlined successes in four key themes -- community safety, outreach and collaboration, organizational capacity and organizational excellence -- and lists Halton police' s targets until 2019. Halton is growing Low crime rate The crime rate in Halton has generally been declining since 1991. In 2015, Statistics Canada reported the overall crime rate for Halton was the lowest-recorded since the municipality formed in 1974. Halton also has the lowest violent crime rate of all regional and similar-sized police agencies in Ontario. The Statistics Canada Crime Severity Index, which measures the volume and seriousness of crime, indicates that Halton has the lowest (best) values for overall crime, violent crime and non violent crime, when compared to other sizable municipalities in Ontario (2015). Community survey LES LEVINE: TRANSMEDIA O a k v i lle G a l le r ie s a t C e n t e n n ia l S q u a r e O p e n in g : S u n d a y 22 J a n u a r y f r o m 2 :3 0 p m - 3 : 3 0 p m F re e g u id e d t o u r : T h u r s d a y 26 J a n u a r y , 7 :0 0 p m Og Oakville galleries WWW.OAKVILLEGALLERIES.COM Etel Adnan. Untitled, 2014, oil on canvas. Courtosy of the artist and Galerle Lelong, Paris. With a current population of approximately 570,000, Halton is expected to grow to nearly 600.000 by 2019 and will be home to more than 750.000 people by 2031. Halton' s population growth rate is more than double the provincial average (as of the 2011 Census) and is the second fastest-growing region in the GTA. For the second Census in a row (2011), Milton was the fastest-growing municipality in Canada, increasing by 56.5 per cent over five years. Milton will be the second-largest community in Halton, following Oakville, by 2024. In March 2016, Halton police conducted a community survey to gauge the opinions of residents on policing matters. Participants were asked questions relating to their experience with the service, perceptions of crime in their community and feelings of safety and police priorities. More than 660 responses (664) were received and incorporated into a database for summary and analysis. The top five community concerns identified by respondents were distracted driving, aggressive/careless driving, residential break-ins, vandalism and theft from vehicles. see Traffic on p.37 HAMILTON ALL STAR JA Z Z B A N D JANUARY 22 · 2 - 4 PM Oakville Conference Centre 2515 W yecroft Rd., Oakville : p b n m e - one on one / m LAGES WELCOME N ew h u f f s e l e c t i o n o f g u it a r s . O A K V I L L E 'S NEW EST ;& acoustic packages fra R E T IR E M E N T C O M M U N I The residence offers a range of unique amenities on-site: · M aitre'd · Driving service · A ge friendly fitness facilities · Spa & hair salon · Dog wash TMil£LES, and more! ^ For Tickets call Stephanie at 289-681-2798 or Teresa at 289-681-4654. Tickets $10 each. All proceeds benefit the Alzheimer Society of Halton. PRESENTATION C EN TR E Westoak Trails Plaza, 2983 Westoak Trails Blvd. Oakville chart .com C o n d itio n s m ay apply. CHARTWell WATERFORD retirement residence 905.257.3110 · theguitarworldoakville.com 380 Dundas St. E. at Trafalgar Road in Longo's Plaza ©YAMAHA