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ARN altuna BAD PRR SR rp id "Scugog's Community Newspaper of Choice" PORT PERRY STAR - Tuesday, April 11, 2000 - 11 Police statistics show 1999 high Blossom Court profile crimes down dramtically residents protest By John B. McClelland Port Perry Star Certain types of "high profile" crime dropped dramatically in 1999 in North Durham as a result of intensive efforts by offi- cers of the Durham Region Police Services. Inspector Chuck Mercier, officer in charge of 26 Division, presented his annual report to Scugog councillors last Monday. He noted a 29 per cent decline in break and enters against homes and businesses, and said this was the result of "the efforts and the energy of our front line officers." Reducing the number of break and enters was a specific police goal, he told the council; the num- ber of incidents fell from 493 in 1998 to 350 last year. Inspector Chuck Mercier age only last year was up 3.7 per cent, and the num- ber of personal injury col- lisions up by 10.6 per cent. There were seven fatal- ities on North Durham roads last year, compared with nine the previous year; and the number of persons injured was 335, compared with 317 in 1998. While pledging that all criminal activity in North Durham will continue to be the subject of "aggres- sive policing," Insp. Mercier told council high profile areas such as Test Hill will be rigidly patrolled with ATVs and the new police helicopter. There are 59 officers assigned to North Durham, and over the next couple of years, there will be a lot of "new faces" working in the area, he said. In fact, the turn-over through retirements and transfers was 20 per cent in 1999, and is estimated to be 30 per cent this year. Over the next five years, about 100 Durham officers are expected to retire, and a drive is now under way to hire and train replace- ments to maintain the desired level of officers. Insp. Mercier told council that Sgt Paul Mooy, a veteran Durham officer, has been assigned to North Durham to iden- tify crime problems and come up with strategies to deal with them. He will also work as co-ordinator for the Community Safety Councils that bring togeth- er the police force, the business community, and citizens of all ages. After hearing the 45- minute presentation, members of Scugog coun- cil expressed appreciation for the efforts to lower crime rates. Mayor Doug Moffatt pledged that the solid relationships between the municipality and the police will contin- ue. no parking signs A group of residents of Blossom Court in Port Perry proved you can get city hall to change its mind. When no parking signs went up on the court recently, residents quickly got up a petition in protest, and last Monday afternoon a delegation appeared before council to ask that their parking rights be restored. Margaret Squires told council that of nine resi- dences on Blossom Court, the petition was signed by seven of them. She said on-street parking is needed for visitors, and because most residences have at least two vehicles in the driveway. She also noted there have been no problems with parking in the past. . The residents got the support of Ward 2 councillor Ken Carruthers, who said there is ample room for emergency vehicles to get around on Blossom Court. In agreeing to remove the signs, councillors reminded the residents that regular parking regula- tions will apply. These include a three -hour maxi- mum and the demand that vehicles be off the street after winter storms so they don't interfere with snow removal. : Crimes against people | also dropped in 1999, by | nearly 10 per cent from 318 incidents to 287, while in all of Durham, the rate l was virtually unchanged. i Insp. Mercier said | police in North Durham y have adopted a policy of | achieving a higher profile through increased patrols | in the effort to reduce what he called "street crime." Another specific target by police the last couple of years have been the roads in North Durham. The goal is to make motor- ing safer by cracking down on those with "poor dri- ving habits," said Insp. Mercier. The result was an 8.8 per cent increase in the number of driving charges by police in 1999. And the same efforts will continue this year, said Insp. Mercier. With the population of North Durham continuing to grow, the number of accidents involving dam- RECALL Mee = SUPERCYCLE BICYCLES \V/[@]D] = By ke [01S] (71-1425-4, 71-1426-2, 71-1427-0) Krane Corporation and Canadian Tire Corporation, Limited have announced the voluntary public recall of SUPERCYCLE bicycle model 1800S. It has been discovered that a handlebar stem assembly problem may cause the front fork assembly to fail. This could potentially result in steering difficulties or cause the handlebars to come out, creating a safety concern. Supercycle 1800S 18-speed MTB can be identified by: * Grey/silver frame * Red fork e Trademark 1800S which appears on the top tube of the frame e Two wheel sizes--Youths' 24" or Adults' 26" diameter This voluntary recall affects only the specified model of bicycle sold at Canadian Tire stores between January and March, 2000. Products purchased before or after this period meet all Canadian requirements and are not affected by this recall. Vandals spray paint school Vandals struck Port Perry High School once again, this time spray- painting five walls with grafitti. Officers were called to the Rosa St. secondary school after it was report- ed that sometime between 9 p.m. on March 31 and 7 a.m. on April 3 vandals spray painted racial and sexual messages on four west walls of the school building and one on an east wall.of a portable. Consumers who have purchased this bicycle are requested to immediately discontinue use of this product and return it to their local Canadian Tire store which will make arrangements for its repair. ¥* CANADIAN TIRE LE0O-1251