The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

Va 10 = Seugog Citizen -- Tuesday, July 9, 1991 § By John B. McClelland Oshawa. Crime rate up: "police chief| Some of the numbers are startling. And if David Edwards express- es concern, it's no wonder. Edwards is Chief of Police in Durham Region and the numbers causing his cortern show that crime rates are on the increase. "The tre; e very troubling to us. They ot good trends," he told the Citizen during a recent interview in his office on the sec- ond floor of. the Durham Police Service HQ building in downtown (the name "force" has been officially changed to "service," a " change that was optional, he said) In the first four months of this year (Jan-April) crimes against people have increased 10.9 per cent; crimes against property have jumped 11.7 per cent. The number of vehicle thefts is up 23 per cent; break and enters/residence up-31 per cent; arson up 50 per cent; fraud and false pretense up 28 per cent. Robberies of all kinds have FESTIVAL DAYS SPECIAL | 8 FESTIVAL DAYS SPECIAL SUB. KAISER, MINI SUB or SALAD BUY ONE ... GET ONE FREE (of equal or less value) Not valid with any other offer Expires Sunday, July 14, 1991 Good Guys or Bad Guys Subby's Submarine feeds them all! a Subbys NO SUBMARINES & KAISERS (BEAN TOWN INC.) CORNER 7A & WATER ST., PORT PERRY OPEN 7 DAYS a WEEK! VR el el fg (010) "SCUGOG CITIZEN? _ Ifyou didn't, we want to WEETR dei BJ Call Doug Olliffe, Circulation Manager is . Extra coples of the Scugon Citizen are avaliable at these great Scugog Township Businesses: IRVINE'S XL GAS BAR, Port Perry SUNNYSIDE MARKET, Casearea 'NESTLETON COUNTRY STORE, Nestleton DOWSON'S VALU-MART, Port Perry" ; IGA, Port Perry PATTIE'S OWN KITCHEN, Port Perry PORT STOP (formerly Bany's Variety), Port.Perry SCUGOG TACKLE & LIVE BAIT, Port Perry "RE/MAX SCUGOG REMY, Port Perry RIDGE NORTH REALTY, Port Perry. \ ALDRED'S CORNER STORE, Scugog Island | || Durham Region Police Chief David Edwards is concerned about the rising rate of crime in the region. jumped more than 100 per cent over last year. And so far in 1991, there have been seven murders in the Region. For all of last year, there were three. Of particular concern to the general public and police officers alike is the amount of violence that accompanies crime. So far in 1991, there have 330 offensive weapons charges, mostly firearms and knives. That's about 100 more than the same period a year ago. Is it any wonder that officers on patrol are wearing the "body armour?" The rising crime rate is not limited to the more crowded areas of Durham along the Highway 401 corridor. Indeed, a breakdown of 'statistics shows that for several kinds of crime, the rate in 26 Division (Scugog, Uxbridge and. Brock Townships) is actually higher than the overall Regional average. » Vehicle thefts, for example, doubled in the first four months in this largely rural area. Residential break and enters more than dou- bled. The number of cases of fraud and false pretense.are up significantly; likewise breach of probation. The actual numbers of inci- dents remain small in comparison to the more populous areas, but the rate of increase is troubling. Some of the trends, especially the rise in violent crime, have been predictable over the last three on four years, "We knew wg were going 10 have trouble with youth gangs," said the Chief. 'As for what is pushing the crime rates upwards, he said there ate probably several factors: the increase in the Region's popula- tion; the proliferation of illegal drugs, including crack and heroin; the economic climate of the last year or so; and what he calls "our permissive society." Despite the increases in crime and violence, Chief Edwards remains optimistic that his offi- cers and society in general is not losing the battle. "Our heads are above water and we are still fighting," he stat- ed. But he added that police forces can't do it all alone. "We need help from everyone, from citizens to governments." "We as police forces must remain pro-active, not reactive or the citizens of the Region will be the losers." He mentions that some juris- dictions south of the border have all but lost the war. Police forces can do little more than just react to crime, and he says Canadian forces should be looking at this to - lear from the problems and not repeat the same mistakes. ChicF Edwards, a tall, soft-spo- ken, youthful looking man who wears business suits Jo the office, has been:a cop for 30 years: He joined the Oshawa City force as a cadet, spent several years with the motorcycle squad and has been * with the Durham force since the Region was formed in 1974. He, admits with a smile that policing 30 years ago is "light years" away from policing in the 90's, and even concedes (again with a smile) there are times he wishes he was back on the motor- cycle. Just in terms of sheer size, Durham Region is a policing chal- lenge. It is just over 1000 square miles, stretching from Lake Ontario in the south to Lak: Simcoe in the north, taking in the city of Oshawa, the rapidly grow- * ing communities of Pickering, Ajax and Whitby, small Townships like Scugog and Brock and dozens of tiny hamlets. There are about 400,000 peo- ple living in the Region, thou- sands of miles of roads and back- roads. At present, the Durham Police Sérvice has 572 men and women in uniform, plus another 160 civil 1an employees, By December, the Service will hire a further 18 offi cers, and despite the stress and the «dangers of police work these days, recruiting is not a problem. [n terms of other Regional Services in Ontario, Durham is the second largest in area, has the 4th largest population, but is 6th + in terms of police/population ratio. "I would like to see this (ratio) lower," said Chief Edwards. But he recognizes that the Region is in tough economic times and the amount of money available from Regional couricil is not unlimited. With an anndal budget of $46 million, the force is up-to-date when it comes to high-tech equip- ment. The latest is the Mobile Digital Terminal, which allows officers to run a check from the cruiser without tying up radio air ume. 'We have been able to stay on top of (changing) technology," he stated. * And he notes with pride the work of the recently formed unit to deal with "street crime." This unit has made some important arrests, he said, and as well officers are constantly speak- ing to youth groups, schools and Please see CHIEF, page 17 PICK-YOUR-OWN Raspberries {county ra 2 Usbridge " 8 line Simcoe i at the MAIR'S Scugog Township '10th Line Phone: 985-8295 ~N