Loading...
The Goderich Signal-Star, 1974-12-12, Page 1ohX O 127 YEAR -50 Karen Osborne of Chatham, and Rusty Ormandyof Goderich won the novice dance title at thq Western Ontario sectionals figure skating championships, Saturday, in Lon- don. They will go on to the Central Canada divisionals at„. Brandon, Man., next month. They will qualify for the Canadian finals at Quebec City in late January and early February if they place in the top four in Brandon. Rusty to Brandon er WIII THURSDAY'', DECEMBER 1 2, 197'4 SINGLE COPY 25c er cottage surveillance Investigator needs 100 customers to begin watch The close of the summer -cot- tage season brings with it the ,opening of the winter break-in and vandalism season, and the concerns of summer home owners for their cottages. Cottages, when they're shut down and deserted for the 'win- ter months, become easytargets especially if the cottage is 'Secluded. Ken Inch of Exeter, has proposed a service he hopes will,help cut down on break-ins and vandalism in cottage coun- try, at least between Grand Bend and Goderich. He is plan- ning to set up frequent cottage patrols through.this area; if he gets the support of cottage owners. cessible byroad are checked of- ten by police, four 6r five times a week or more. Mr. Inch's ser- vice would ,be helpful, especially for ” checks on secluded cottages or cottages accessible only by snow vehicle. drive vehicle, a second snowmobile artd a two-way • radio system if response, is good. Properties will be checked once a week, at a"different time each week, from December 15 Mr. Inch's business is called to May 17. Mr. Inch feels that Huron Security Services. He one man can check 500 to 700 oevent He's in the process of writing letters to the 3,000 cottage owners between the towns,of- :Ormandy fering his inspection service for $50 for five months. It will° sup- plement police patrols. So far, 1,000 letters have been mailed, and there is some evidence of interest. The Exeter detachment of the OPP has • received several inquiries. Hundreds of miles of corm: muting to `figure skating prac- tices several times a week, has paid off for Karen Osborne of Chatham and, Rusty Ormandy of Goderich. Their time and ef- fort 'paid off Saturday, when they won.the novice dance title at the Western Ontario sec- tionals figure skating Cham- pionships, • in London. ' They have been travelling to " St. Thomas for practise sessions, three times a week, since summer. It's a 150 mile round trip for Rusty, a 1.30 mile journey for Karen:' They skate together Sunday, Monday and Wednesday under the watchful eye of Don Cumming, the St. Thomas Figure Skating Club professional who introduced them. .Wednesday night, they are Chauffered hack to Goderich with Rusty's parents, and skate again here Thursday morning. The next trip for the two 16 - year -old, red-haired, Grade 11 students will be an even longer one. It won't be for just a prac- tice though. They will travel to Brandon, Manitoba, next 'month to compete in the Cen- tral Can&da divisionals, as a result of their first place showing in the Western Ontario sectionals: If they place in the top four in Brandon, they will qualify for the. Canadian final4 at Quebec City at the end-- of • January and early February. Karen and Rusty were placed first by all five judges at the Western Ontario sectionals, but would be satisfied with .a finish anywhere in the top six at the Central Canada divisionals, 'as • it will. only be theirfirst ap- pearance there. ` Last year, Rusty just missed qualifying for the Central Canada divisionals, with a dif- ferent partner. Karen wasn't in dance competition last year. Their heavy travelling The operation will not begin, schedule will continue for a, however, unless Mr. Inch gets while yet, but Rusty and'Karen at least 100 clients. are planning to get their Mr. Inch, 48, has been licen- driver's licenses shortly, much sed by the private investigators to the relief of their parents, and security guards who have been doing the registration branch of the OPP, driving up until now. and 'has been bonded. Rusty, a student at G.D.C.I., plans to attend university after' high school, while Karen's in- terests are in ballet. They both hope to continue • their ice dancing through the for and senior levels at the jun Canada Central Canada sec- tionals, in. the future. Rusty is a member of the Goderich Figure Skating Club. "If it's handled correctly -if he can get enough cottage owners interested, it'll be an assistance to us," said •-3 Sgt., Tom' Redpath of the Goderich detach ent of ,the. OPP. "If he m checks every weeleand reports to us, he may come up with something to help ,us." He said that cottages ac- in Exeter. Presently, his sir There are . about 35-40 oc William is. his only employee, currences of vandalism and but he has 'three other, men available if there is a great demand for his service. He Vandnlc hit and his son are both prepared to work on this venture full- jobs. and give up their present Baptist church Each man must be licensed, carry an identification card, and wear a uniform while,on duty. "The paper work in this alone,, will be fantastic. There'll be a file on each property, with a record of each check," Mr: Inch said. '''' 'He will buy . ;a four-wheel Tenant .nanie•d for new plaza the cottage area covered by the Goderich detachment, accor- ding to Sgt. Redpath. He said occasionally there may be a delay in the incident 'being reported and solved,, if the cot- tage is secluded. This is where Mr. Inch's service would be most important. ','NV,oudo_ub i t -w auld break-ins in the off-season in GoderiV Mayor Harry Wor- sell has announced that a . branch of Toronto -Dominion Bank will situate in the shop- ping plaza now being built on the southern limits of town o Highway 21, by Suncoast. Suncoast spokesman Bert Alexander said he expects of- ficials from Toronto -Dominion The First Baptist Church, Market and: Montreal Streets and a neighbouring house, have. been targets for vandalism in recent weeks, receiving damage totalling $415. • The church received $75 damage November_ 25, and $300 damage December 3. The house, owned by J. H. Aitken, 37 Market St.', received $40 damage, December 4. Police .Chief P, D. King said there are • no suspects yet, but the case remains open, and inquiries are still being made. We said a case of this nature of- ten takes. several weeks to solve. He ,suspects the culprits may have 'been children on their way home from school. Chief King said he doesn't know why this area has been ,, singled out, except that it is not to be in town in the next weetc 'clearly visible from the street. or ''so. Other branch offices4.Ye , .lso .noted that vandals Huron County, are` ioaatied' in' -z-may have mistakenly identified Seaforth and Wingham. 4 the Aitken' house as belonging The -footings for the new A &` to the church. P store are in -at the plaza site, ' Neither the Church nor the Mr. Alexander said, and ,work,„ house were insured against the on the 11 h b w Police Chief gives merchants 'advice about, shoplifters e wa s as begun. . damage. aid the hably, us ifs enough people think service is required," said Cpl. Ray' Brooks of the Exeter OPP detachment. He said the police check the cottages as frequently as duties allow, but Mr. Inch would check them on, a regular routine basis. The service will make promp- ter discoveries of break-ins and" ding vandals. Mr. Inch feels the service will expand from Sarnia to Tober- mory along Lake Huron, to Georgian Bay and around Parry Sound if the cottage sur- veillance is "attractive to owners. . For an added fee, Mr. Inc -h will perform additional ser- vices, such as snow removal roofs, repairs or other wor e "'owne done. WWII eared reward Kenneth G. Dunn (right), Chairman of the Board of Alexandra Marine and General- Hospital'in Goderich, presents a colorphotograph to Dr. Norman C. Jackson on his retirement as Chief of Staff of the hospital after 20 years in that position. The picture of Dr. Jackson will be hung in the Doctors' Lounge in the hospital, at his request., (photo by Eric _Carman) hristmas brings out shoppers locking for free merchandise in the stores You'd better watch out, you'd better not pout, shoplifters may be coming to town. During the Christmas shop- ping season when the stores are crowded with- . people .buying gifts for their loved ones they are also crowded with people stealing gifts . for their loved ones. - ...„__The merchants in Goderich s•aul:d be on the lookout for shoplifters now more than any 'other time of the year. Cases of unlawful shoppers in Goderich_ have not been reported in large numbers this year but Police Chief Pat King warns that mer- chants should not 'rest on this rec�iocrd. !°'hief King said that .shoplif- ting cases havenot been repor- ted to • his office with any regularity hut he has' little doubt that the merchants are having items stolen from their store all the time. • The. chief has had con- siderable experience with shoplifters during his policing The recount for the post of career and offers some advice . the deputy -reeve for the Town to the businessmen in town to of Goderich will take place in Prevent having merchandise the town hall ',Wednesday, stolen from their stores. According to Chief King, the December 18 at 9:30 a.m..Judge most likely targets forty shoplif- ters G. Carter will preside• ters are Mores that have a large The candidates involved are floor space with limited staff. Bill Clifford and Mrs. Eileen Stores like Woolworths or Palmer, both councillors in the Canadian Tire where a person present council. The recount' dbecame' could walk down an aisle prac- necessary after prent discrepancy of 1(e -elected s fp l'e C t e d 17 votes was apparent in the returns of the Deputy - f following of the Ontario Motor :water Division, at c aciation annual in Wi> or last Recount Wednesday Returning Offices o owing W ,J• Mills was elected to the Monday, December 2 °else.- soothe term of office as direc- tion. Since only 16 votes separated for the candidates after the final _LeaShe Ontario lu tally; the "recount was ordered tmeeting heldi at the expense of the week. munitip�lity. tically undetected are ideal for the would be offender. Merchants should watch for strange faces in their stores. Certainly with the number of out of town shoppers coming to Goderich to do their Christmas shopping this will be difficult, but if these people are given a little extra attention they -may be put off their plans. This is• the time of year when professional shoplifters come to town to wdrk stores where they know they will not be recognized. Two strangers coming in a store at once or very close together should be watched closely. Professionals use this ploy to attract the clerk's atten- tion. One will ask questions and demand the clerk's atten- tion while the other appears to be ,.browsing around. The browser will use every oppor- tuhity,to lift merchandise from the shelf and hide it on his per- son. c" When stocking their shelves merchants 'should keep items away from the door. A quick hand can remove something as the person leaves the store after a shopping period. Clerks should not 'allow shoppers excessive freedom of the store. If they frequently of- fer to help the person they will indicate to them ilial they are aware of their presence and are watching them. People entering stores with shopping hags or large gift wrapped boxes should be wat-' ched closely. The bag will hold quite a few items and a box that appears sealed may have an open top in which stolen ,ar- • ticles can be placed. High counters with long aisles provide excellent covet' for shoplifters. They can see across the store but someone watching them cannot see their hands ,,at work. Open candy ands book displays are common targets for theft. Magazines can be placed inside one another and when one is bought, three may be taken out. Candy and books can be stuffed easily in pockets or purses. • Bulky coats and dresses are good cover for stolen items. Some ove-rcn'atswdi'n by shoplifters have hooks on the inside on which jeweliry or other small items can be hung. q•Ladies wear large bloomers fit- ted with pockets for holding stolen 'merchandise. The bulky clothing also allows people to wear stolen clothing under- neath. They may take two suits into a fitting room and only bring one out, the other being worn under a heavy coat. Clerks who suspect shoplif- ters in a store should not con- centrate on the person's eyes. While .the clerk is watching the person, the shopper may be looking right back at the clerk while they are filling their pockets. The hands should be, in full view if possible. These points should be kept in mind by merchants over the heavy shopping season. They__ allow them to be 'on guard against shoplifters without making any accusations or of- fending customers who would not think of stealing anything, but are just casually shopping•. Shoplifting may not seem like much of a problem to Goderich merchants because of the low nuniher of cases' repor- ted, but Chief King is nr,t so confident there is no problem. He estimates that for every of- fender reported to the police, three or four ,are not. He com- pares Goderich to every other town in Ontario, and knows that there is shoplifting going on. Merchants who catch the thieves in the act and do not report them because they don't feel it is serious enough to call the police are doing the person more harm than good, accor- ding to Chief King. He knows that all shoplifters say they are innocent when they are caught. They will try to convince the -merchant that it is' their first offence and that if they are allowed to go free they will never do it again. This is where the problem .of con- sistent • offenders is made evident. The merchants believe the line ' nd do not report the incident, thus the police will never know if it was the first case or not. The point of turning a shoplifter over to the police is not to have the person charged and jailed or fined; it is to educate them. If a youngster steals from a store and gets away with it he may getcon- fident and try again. If he gets caught and only gets a dressing . down by the merchant, he"may - also scoff at that and continue With' thanks Special Christmas items , throughout this week's Goderich Signal - Star and all December issues, appear through the ._courtesy of the Conestoga College Jpur- nalism program, in Kit- chener, and Bob Trotter, program co-ordinator. his ways. But if the police police were called in on the question him -and convince him matter and investigatio•n that if he is caught again he proved that the child ; was will be in serious 'trouble,• he stealing from hunger. She was may realize thexisk he is taking' not fed at home and had to • and stop stealing altogether. steal candy to fightoff the Merchants ,also ''nIay catch hunger pains. The chief added someone they know or a child that this is another good reason of • Someone they know and for calling the 'police. The ' in- • decide -to forget the whole thing vestigation resulted in the child if the person promises to stop , `Tieing sent to a foster home stealing. This fits into the same which may never - have hap - category as trying to reform the Fened if the merchant had not offenders and is not advisable,• phoned the police. according to Chief King. He Catching a shoplifter could recommends that every offen- prove to he embarrassing to a' der, no matter how small the t'nerchant: Chief King -recalled object stolen, should be repor- one amazing woman who was ted to the police. He feels that caught stealing a portable like everything else, shoplifters television. She had placed the start off small, too. TV under her dress in between The procedure taken by a her legs and was walkingout.of merchant is not an'easy one. If the store. The store security he spots someone stealing he people had spotted her, putting must hold the person under a the TV away and 'apprehended citizen's' arrest and make no charge'~- He should im- mediately p}ne the police and from there Aey will handle the 'i ohlem. Chief King pointed out the problem a storeawner or clerk may run into by charging the. person or in the case of a child, 'A six-year-old Goderich girl phoning the parents. Re recalls received cuts and bruises when merchants who have phoned she was hit by a car on, Victoria parents who take the attitude Street, Friday at 4:35 p.m. of "rny'ch•ild can :it) no wfong," Kari 'Parks, daughter of Mr. and Beverly reprimand the mer- and Mrs, Dave Parks, 39 Vic - chant for thinking- the child toria St. S., was taken to capable of stealing. The chief hospital for x-rays, but was Sees no need for the merchant released within an hour when to take that kind of abuse from they proved negative. At press_ people and maintains that if time, whe had recovered from tie police are allowed ,to han- her injuries, except for two die the sit ation the merchant black eyes and a chipped tooth. will 'not h involved in the Mat- ter. Not all shoplifters do so out of greed..Chief King remembers one little girl who was Caught taking candy froth a store. The her, said the Chief, but if you watched her walk you would never know she had it hidden where she did. Chief King• would like to work • with the merchants on prevention of shoplifting and how to handle it* when it 'is discovered. The government of Ontario hopes to start a program involving police of- ficers and merchants in which the two can work out security precautions, procedure taken when shoplifters are apprehen- ded and methods the police use to educate younger offenders caught stealingfor the first time. It is hoped the project will get underway in the new year but until then the Goderich Police Department recom- mends that all cases he turned over to them,- big or small, little girl injured in Victoria St, mishap The car, driven by William Gow of Belgrave, received $10 damage. Two women were injured in a two -car collision at the inter- section of Victoria and East' Streets, at 5:30 p.m. December 3, Audrey Rose Ormandv, RR 1, Goderich and 'Anne M. McLean, RR 5, Goderich, the drivers of the vehicles, each received minor injuries. There was $3,000 damage to the Ormandy vehicle and $700 damage to the McLean vehicle. During the past week, police laid- four chargrks under the Criminal Code, 12 under the Highway Traffic Act, Seven un- der the Liquor Control Act, two under the Motorized Snow Vehicle Act, and seven bylaw charges. 4'