HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Wingham Advance-Times, 1975-02-27, Page 170
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Published ever), !tot/kin The Listowel Banner, The Wingham Advance -Times
and The Mount Forest Confederate by Wenger Bros. Limited. —Crossroads—Februarl 27, WM--
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TORONTO_,
Feature by
Chege
Mbitiru
001b,
0j/toleration Identification
... a plan 'whelp put a thief out of business
"You can be a valuable aid in the fight against crime by
personalizing your portable belongings with your driver's li-
cense number or your social insurance number."
—Operation Identification Brochure
The scene is a storme room in
a police station. All around, and
with numbered tags, is stolen
• property that has been recovered
by the police.
Included are adding machines,
cameras, household appliances,
cottage items like water pumps,
guns, jewelry, photographic
equipment, musical instruments,
power tools, radios, record play-
ers, stereos, television sets . . .
The list is endless.
A sergeant is pacing the floor,
pencil and pad in hand, puffing a
cigarette, and obviously impa-
tient. He is, though, -courteously
pointing out the latest bunch of
,0 stolen property most recently re -
Covered.
A man and his wife are walking
around, turning the property
over, looking for that television
* , set (or whatever) that was stolen
when their home was burglarized
while they were out for the even-
ing or away for the weekend.
"It's this one," she says,
excitedly.
"Yes, yes. I think so," he says,
looking very thoughtful.
The sergeant pauses. That's
what he has been waiting to hear;
them identifying their property.
• „ Then he asks the crucial
question: "How do you know it's
the one?"
They look at each other.
"It just looks like It," they
answer, almost in unison.
"Sorry, folks," the sergeant
says in that polite but no-non-
sense tone. "That's not good
enough."
The scene is imaginary, yes.
But any policeman will swear
that happens all the time. People
whose property has been stolen
and recovered by police fail to
give positive identification of
ownership.
That means, •among other
things, that they can't get their
property back if recovered unless
they can furnish positive identifi-
cation of ownership.
Operation Identification, a pro-
gram sponsored by the Ontario
Insurance Agents and Brokers
Association (OIABA), and en-
dorsed by the Ontario Provincial
Police (OPP), is aimed at
making people do two things.
One: Record the serial or
model numbers of 'the property
they own, and
Two: Engrave their driver's
license numbers or social insur-
ance numbers on the property
they own which has neither the
serial nor model numbers.
Constable Elmer McKenzie,
community services officer at the
Mount Forest detachment of the
OPP, says that social insurance
number is the best form of identi-
0
9
•
5
0
fication because only one person
would have that number in the
whole of Canada.
Technically, the process is as
simple as a child's play with
crayons.
The equipment is an electric
marker weighing 13 ounces. It
has a carbide point for average
marking or a diamond point for
engraving extra hard material.
The ,points, the manufacturer
claims, are easily interchanged.
The manufacturer also claims,
and members of OIABA and the
OPP believe, that the instrument
"quickly and easily engraves
metal, glass, stone, ceramics,
plastics, hard woods, etc."
It "cuts right into the surface to
leave a permanent mark which
can't be wiped off and won't wear
away in normal use," an ad-
vertisement brochure says.
The brochure adds that using
the marker is cheaper than using
special tags or nameplates.
The truth of this is enhanced, as
far as the Operation Identifica-
tion is concerned, by the fact that
participating OIABA members
will loan the marker to anyone
wanting to use it.
There are insurance agents in
Mount Forest, Listowel and
Wingham and they have the
markers.
But 'Operation Identification
isn't a hOusehold word in these
towns or the surrounding areas.
The reasons are varied.
Constable McKenzie said there
hasn't been enough publicity
about the program.
Ross Wilkie of Harriston, who
runs his insurance business from
an office in Clifford, noted: "The
problem is that ninety per cent of
the people in the area 'don't even
. know the program exists."
In Listowel, the 'story is even
more interesting. Ken Hodgkin-
son of Don Hamilton Real Estate
recalls that two years ago'agents
bought the electric engraver,
paid for an advertisement telling
town residents that they could
use the equipment and that they
could pick it up at the police sta-
tion.
Said Listowel Police. Chief,
William J. Sachs: "Three of my
men used it but no one else has
used it, to the best of my know-
ledge." He added, "I used to keep
it on the counter but no one was
asking for it so I put it away. It's
still here if they want to use it."
In Mount Forest, William
Cockburn, an insurance agent, is
a great enthusiast of the program
and said it is a very good one.
He owns an engraver and
several of his clients have used it.
Talking about people's reaction
to the program, he expressed
amazement that some even say
they are not interested.
"It's funny that people who
could easily buy a replacement,
say' a gun, if stolen, are the ones
who ask for the engraver," he
said.
He has loaned his engraver to
the OPP Mount Forest detach-
ment for a month and notes that
"no one has asked us for it."
Ray McCannell, another insur-
ance agent in Mount Forest, said
the program is a good thing and
he is willing to buy the engraver
if any of his clients are interest-
ed.
"So far no one has enquired
about it,." he said.
Does the problem of identifying
stolen property that has been re-
covered exist in the area?
"Sure," says Chief Sachs.
"Most stolen property is never
identified."
Then he related a problem for
his department, now easing, of
stolen tape players from automo-
biles.
In a separate interview Ser-
geant Harvey Thompson, also of
Listowel Police Department,
said, "Any police officer can tell
you that the problem exists."
In a serious tone, he empha-
sized the importance of people
having positive identification of
their possessions. "Not only
manufactured property," he
said, "even animals. How do you
tell that a dog belongs to one per-
son kand not to the other?"
Mount Forest Police Chief
Bowyer claimed the problem
exists, and added, "Some people
won't even know the make of^
their television sets."
Constable McKenzie said the
OPP doesn't have the value of
property recovered but not
claimed, because of lack of posi-
tive identification. However, he
did not discourage a reporter who
was speculating that the value
could go up ,to' ,several hundred
thousand dollars.
Whenever stolen property is
recovered, Constable McKenzie
explained, serial and model
numbers are recorded in a
computer at the Canadian Infor-
mation Centre. This means
several things: If the property
has identification like the serial
number or driver's license num-
ber, or even the social insurance
number, the police can locate the
owners and ask them to take the
property back.
It also means that if an officer
suspects that some property is
stolen, he can enquire from the
centre and get an answer within a
relatively short time. Such infor-
mation can also help in prosecu-
tion, said Constable McKenzie.
The information centre can be
used by all police departments in
Canada.
"But what's the use of listing
stolen goods without any identifi-
cation?" Chief Bowyer asked.
Thus, the police have vested
interest in Operation 'dentine*,
tion not only in as far as identifies
cation of stolen goods, their..
eventual return to owners and
possible help in prosecution aro.
concerned, but in stopping theft.
The OIABA participating
agents also provide decals to be
placed in an obvious location in
the house announcing to would-be
thieves that the property is iden-
tified.
Constable McKenzie says this
would be a deterrent to thieves—
particularly the professionals—
because they are aware the
property would not be easy to dis-
pose of.
To popularize the program,
OPP community officers have
been visiting groups since they
got involved in the program last
year, trying to explain its value.,
In OPP District No. 6, with heado
quarters in Mount Forest, such
activities are co-ordinated by
Constable Harold Tighe.
However, anyone -interested in
learning more about the program
may contact the OPP detach-
ment's community services in.
Mount Forest for the surrounding
areas, Goderich for Wingham
and the surrounding area, or Se-
bringville for the Listowel area.
The OPP officers who are
trying to popularize the program
haven't always met with success.
In an April 1973 Operation
Identification Bulletin, the or-
ganization's vice president, San-
ford F. Phillips, wrote:
"OPP Inspector Fred Blutcher
advises that his ,detachments
around the province are promot-
ing Operation Identification prac-
tically every day.
"However, he says they are
running into some embarrass-
ment in many communities be-
cause the agents are not yet
participating." •
He went on to say that often
when officers talk to groups and
show a slide film, members of the
audience ask them where they
can borrow an engraving pencil.
"In many cases," Mr. ,Phillips
wrote, "the OPP officer is not
• able to provide the name of an
agent, or a member of the local
OIABA."
Constable • McKenzie claimed
that participation on a large scale
Ethiopian worker
is needed if the program is to
prove a success. There is
evidence that when people
participate in the program, the
rate of thefts does go down.
When., the OIABA launched the
prografii in 1971 after studying it
for two years, Mr. Phillips said
that the program was very suc-
cessful in the town where it origi-
nated. He did not identify the
town. However, Richard Carruth-
ers of Owen Sound said it was
"somewhere in California."
In any•case, Mr. Phillips at the
time said that between 1963 and
1970, the burglary rate dropped 30
per cent in one month. And
during those seven years, only
three of 4,000 homes marked with
"Operation Identification" warn-
ings were burglarized.
In Ottawa last March, the
police and the insurance agents
conducted a large campaign
during, Police Week. Agents or-
dered 40,000 mail stuffers to be
mailed to city residents vvitIrtheir
tax statements.
Also ordered were 300 posters
to be placed in banks throughout
the city and.,25 engravers for use
by the police and a large quantity
• of decals.
Agents .and their staff also
manned the booths at Ottawa
Coliseum where a display told
citizens about Operation Identifi-
cation, handed out brochures and
demonstrated the engravers.
That wasn't all. A crime -in-
fested section of the city was
chosen as a test ground for the ef-
fectiveness of the project.
In a telephone interview this
month, Ottawa Police Detective
Sergeant Vic Rawlins said crime
was cut down by 100 per cent.
"There are no police calls from
that section at all," he.said.
Previous to the launching of
Operation Identification, he said
the area was known for thefts,
burglaries; vandalism—the
whole bit.
"I can say that Ottawa has the
best. Opera tion ' Identification
program in North America,"
Sergeant Rawlins said, adding
that his department would be
willing St) help any police depart-
' finent.
"We liave•had everyone else's
mistakes, our own and the best of
everybody's solutions, plus some
of our own," he added. "But the
program has been very effective ,
here."
For the insurance agents,
Operation Identification is main-
ly a public relations affair. Mr.
Phillips admitted that much in
the Operation Identification's
April 1974 Bulletin.
"Operation Identification," he
wrote, "is the best public reit*,
tions vehicle that has come our
way in many a year," he wrote. •
On the other hand, he added, an
increase in burglaries, particu-
larly in urban arealg, basben
factor in the increase of prenilum
rates.
Mr. Carruthers noted that
while this may not show on an in-
dividual level (your' premitma
doesn't go up every time youlile
a claim) it does show oil the in-
creases on a provincial level.
Be it as it may, it isindeed a
pity that people in the area are •
failing to avail themselves of A
free service.
The engraver can be borrowed
from the police or the insurance
agents for 48 hours. Many
numbers and names can be
written in that time. In the end,:.
the job may save a lot of money.
Youth travels to old kingdom
Religious zeal taking church
members to the four corners of
the world is an old story • — bit
not, for David Willis of Atwood.
David, 22, son of Mr. and Mrs.
V. E. Willis of Atwood. was in his
third year at Vancouver Bible In-
stitute, B.C. when he volunteered
to go to Ethiopia.
As one of about 100 young
volunteers in Africa, ,David
expects to remain in Ethiopia
until June, 1975. He will complete
his studies at that time.
In excerpts from letters to
home, some of David's impres-
sions, experiences and feelings
are expressed.
THE JOURNEY
This excerpt is taken from a
letter written en route to
Ethiopia:
"From Toronto we went to
Montreal on to Rome. We saw the
catacombs where the early
Christians met and were buried;
also St. Peter's Basilica which is
in the Vatican, a beautiful cathe-
dral with many rows of pillars
surrounding a fountain in the
square in front. Also went to the
Colosseum where many Christ-
ians were fed to the lions.
"The traffic in Rome is unbe-
lievable; if you see a stop sign it
actually means slow down and
keep your eyes open! The cars
are all Fiat with the .odd Volks-
wagon or Cortina.
"From Rome we flew to Saudi -
Arabia, a land very barren and
parched looking; a breeze blow-
ing hot, dry air from the rocky
hills in the interior. As we
refueled an Arab stood outside
the 'Mane in a long white robe
exactly like you would imagine
with black head, band, full beard
and sandals."
ARRIVAL
David arrived in Ethiopia's
capital, Addis Ababa, and had
this to say:
"On our way there we had our,
first experience of Ethiopian
driving; they are much worse
than the Italians! On the streets
all animals can be found•making
their way into the narrow streets
to be manoevered around by
furious drivers continuously lay-
ing on the horn!
"All the people are black, not
real black as most Africans, but
similar to a dark Arab with
black, fuzzy hair.
"In the city they try to dress as
westerners, usually with a very
radical combination of colors,
usually acquired without notice
to matching. ,
"It isn't an unusual sight to see
young boys mucking around with
only a shirt on down as far as
their waist: To them the top is
more important than the bot-
tom!"
After spending a week in the.
capital city, busy with orienta-
tion, David was read 9 16 travel to
his destination, Dessie, a . place
9,000 feet above sea level and a
day's drive away to begin his
work, for the Sudan Interior
Mission as a relief and rehabilita-
tion worker.
UP HIGH
David stops just before his
destination in a town, Boruweda.
"Boruweda is beautiful and
green, set in a valley surrounded
by rounded, eroded mountains
covered with grazing trails and
Eucalyptus trees. The area is
green because of the, rainy
season, just in progress. (August
and September ) . The valley looks
like one out of the foothills, west
of Calgary, except when you look
up the mountainside you see little
African huts‘with thatched roofs.
"At night the rain usually
comes, making music to sleep by
on. the tin roofs of the houses.
Occassionally one can hear a
hyena — I've seen a few."
About a month later David
writes: •
"The rainy season is almost
over now, crops are almost ready
to harvest. They will be ripened
by the first part of the dry season
October, November. The temp-
erature still remains fairly cool
in the evenings in the high
altitudes.
"Around Christmastime it
often freezes around Dessie.
Never any snow though. Most
Ethiopians have never seen
snow. Of course, it's kind of weird
trying to describe it!
"Ethiopia is a real land of con-
trasts. By far Ethiopia is wretcli-
edly poor, dirty, illiterate, a ter-
ribly low standard nf living.
"In a day you can see people
using plows with oxen, boys with
slingshots, men with spears,
sheep, donkeys, mules and goats;
women with water pots on their
backs, mothers with babies on
their backs,. mothers' breast
feeding and naked tittle urchins
streaking to and fro; all as it
would have been in Old Testa-
ment times.
"Until lately huge tracts of
land had been owned by the
Royal Family and other wealthy
landowners who have exploited
the people by demanding enor-
mous amounts of tax„money.
"The new government has
jailed many of the exploiters in-
cluding Halie Selassie himself
(deposed King) who has been in-
criminated for not making the
famine known until relief teams
took up the task of offsetting the
catastrophe. The military law
now existing has so far been good
„ and shed no blood."
Moving to anqther train .4
thought David continues:
. Flies are e‘crywhere; in your
eyes, up your nose, in the corners
of your mouth. They spread tra-
choma, an eye disease that can
result in blindness if not checked.
"The worst insects are the fleas
though „they get in your
socks, up your pant legs, around
your, wrists, in your bed, etc. I
had about 50 bites in about three
square inches of my leg.
"For the first couple of months
I was on water projects but now
have been switched to evangel-
ism and follow-up in the out-
stations around Oessie. I work,
very closely with an Ethiopian
and we travel a lot, hike a lot, talk
to people a lot. We encourage
relief and rehabilitation workers,
both Ethiopian and foreign."
REFLECTION
David writes home reflecting
on his first four months stay in
Africa:
"I have really come to appreci-
ate Canada, its freedoms, its
fresh water, its government; all
in direct contrast to Ethiopia.
Sometimes there is quite a bit of
friction between Ethiopians and
foreigners.
"From where this building its,
a tin shack, one can look for, miles
and miles out onto the Danakil
Depression. We are on the
eastern edge of the mountains at
7,000 feet and from here ort east-
ward the land is level, low and •
hot. except for some huge streaks
of lava across the Danakil, right
on toward the Red Sea.
"The people are very primi-
tive, carry sticks and spears all
the time and live in typical Afri-
can huts. They often have
scuffles with the Danakil people
who are constantly raiding for
cattle and land.
"The famine is fairly well over
although there will he hungry
mouths around for quite a while
yet. The rains have been good
here.
"M'ost work in rehabilitation is
done via Food for Work projects:
people will labor for wells,
springs, reforestatiOn, airstrips,
reservoirs; and then are paid in
grain. It keeps them from be-
• coming too lazy as they wait for
food distribution.
"Yesterday I worked in a clinic
doing dressings, etc. The nurses
are about like doctors, diagnos-
ing and distributing medicine.
They are just Ailing mostly, just
out of nursing school, yet they
manage quite well. Typhus.,
typhoid, malaria and worms -are
all fairly common.
"Incidentally, I had malaria
about a month ago and amoebic
dystentry prior to that. But I'm
doing okay now."
David, who graduated from
Atwood Public School and Listo-
wel District \Secondary School,
expects to remain in Ethiopia for
a full year, .until June, 1975.
Anyone who wants to contact
David 'can reach him at:
David V. Willis, Relief and re-
habilitation worker, c -o Sudan
Interior Mission, Box 70, Dessie,
Ethiopia, East Africa.
NOTE: While the country had
previously been under Emperor
Halie Selassie's rule, a Parlia-
ment was established around 1958
with limited power. The deposed
emperor is allowed to live in
Ethiopia although he Yitilonger
wields any power.
Eritrea, in the northern part of
Ethiopia has historically been an
automonous province within the
Ethiopian boundary. It has a
population of over one million,
people and comprises about 10
per cent 'of the land area of
Ethiopia.
With rebel activity against the
new military government in and
around Eritrea, David and his co-
workers have been told that
evacuation could come within a
day's notice. The violence has not
reached the south where David is
presently working.
His mother, Mrs. V. E. Willis of
Atwood, said that David is in no
danger at the present time.
ETHIOPIAN TRAVELLER—David Willis of Atwood went
off to the countryside of Ethiopia recently to help some of
the inhabitants. He plans to return In June 1975 to finish his
Bible College studies in Vancouver.