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"Scugog's Community Newspaper of Choice" PORT PERRY STAR - Tuesday, September 11, 2001 - 3 Some numbers are deceiving, say police Police stats show offenses on the rise in North Durham By Rik Davie Port Perry Star Driving offenses in North Durham were up an astounding 96 per cent in the last year, according to the Durham Regional Police Service's annual report for 2000. But 26 Division Inspector Bill Temple advises residents not to panic because the num- bers in the recently- released report are decep- tive because of the advent of special enforcement units and traffic blitzes in the northern parts of Durham Region. Those added patrols have resulted in a huge increase in the number of officers on the lookout for driving offenses. "We are pleased with the upgraded enforcement and the stats don't say that this year we laid 5,537 traf- fic charges compared to only 3,680 charges in the previous year," Insp. Temple said. "That is because of increased man- power out there on the roads, not because there are more bad drivers out there. We are catching more, it's that simple." Insp. Temple said that fatal accidents are remain- ing at about the same level, which he adds is a cause for concern. "Are there more impaired drivers out COMMUNITY POLICE STATISTICS to 11 pm. an to ever the follwing : there?" Insp. Temple asked. "According to our figures, yes there are. I am at a loss to know what more we can do to get the message out there. We can omy hope that the public gets on the bandwagon and helps us by calling in impaired drivers when they see them." According to figures supplied by the police ser- vice, there is one Durham Regional Police officer for every 800 citizens in North Durham, and while that fig- ure is on a par with num- bers in the southern parts of the region, there are fac- tors Insp. Temple said must be factored in. "We are a rural area and we patrol 550 square-miles with thousands of kilome- ters of paved road and hundreds of off-road trails," he explained. "We do the most with what we have and the figures on tickets speak to that." General crime against persons (assaults, for example) are on the increase as are assaults against police officers. The Inspector noted that he was unsure of why there were such increases. "There is a general shift in society that speaks to that," he said. "The causes are abstract and the public needs to step forward on this and property crimes." Insp. Temple said that usually by the time police are called the damage has been done. "We need to partner more with the public in preventative measures against property crime and crime against persons," he said. "We want the public to know that we care as much as they do and want to work together to make this community safe." Police service continuing blitz of Highways 7A, 12 OPP reminds motorists to stop for school buses The Ontario Provincial Police would like to remind motorists that school has started and school buses are traveling on Highways 7A, 12 and 35/115 in Durham Region stopping to pick up and drop off children from our schools. Drivers must be pre- pared to stop when the school bus red warning lights are flashing. Officers patrolling in unmarked cruisers, specifically on Highway 35/115, will be targeting drivers who fail to stop for the school bus and there will be zero tolerance. When motorists are traveling on Highway 35/115, behind a school bus and the red warning lights start flashing, slow down and be prepared to stop. The driver has to stop 20 meters before reaching the rear of the bus and shall not proceed until the bus moves or the overhead red signal - lights have stopped flashing. Under Section 175 (12) of The Highway Traffic Act, the driver will be charged with Fail To Stop For School Bus - Overtaking and will be issued a summons to appear in court. The driver will have to deal with the charge in court; they will not be issued a ticket with a set fine that they would be able to mail. (The fine for this charge is $405 plus the Victims' of Crime Surcharge of $95, totalling $500 and six demerit points). Drive carefully because all of us in the Durham Region want to ensure the safety of our children travelling to and from our local schools. It is the law to stop for a school bus with red lights flashing taking on or discharging children. ' alin » -- 168 178 Queen Street, Port MURR! 905 YS5 2521 www brockstore.com Don't forget that your Brock's Gold Card saves you 10% off all regular everyday.