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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1979-01-25, Page 8PAGE 8 —GODERICH SIGNAL -STAR, THURSDAY, JANUARY 25, 1979 Still better than 1975 rate Crime rate increases in 1978 BY JOANNE BUCHANAN Although the crime rate increased in Goderich last year, it was still better, than it was in 1975, Goderich Police Chief Pat King reported to the Police Commission here at a, meeting on Tuesdaly. In presenting his'an- nual police report for 1978, the Chief told the commission that the public were much better at reporting suspicious incidents to police during the year and this assisted police in „tracking down culprits in a number of cases. "Although the rate of crime rose during the year,much of this can be attributed to better reporting of such things as wilful damage and thefts by the general public," he said. The actual percentage increase in the crime rate was 9.89 per cent over last year. This now means that since 1975, the crime in Goderich has decreased by 19.37 per cent, reported the Chief. A majority of these crimes are to do with petty thefts and wilful damage. Actual crimes against the. person such as assaults, robberies and sex offences dropped by 9.09 per cent,- he ex- plained. Crimes against property (brea,k and enter, thefts, mischief and wilful damage) dropped slightly from 381 offences in 1977 to 375 offences in 1978. The rash of bicylce thefts (the majority are eventually recovered) and the theft of articles from motor vehicles are still problems, said the Chief. A total of ,76 'bicycles were reported stolen and there were 48. separate - thefts from motor vehicles. About 95 per cent of the latter thefts could have been prevented if people had locked their cars, maintained the Chief. Seldom, if ver, he said, has a vehicle been forced open in order to steal from it. Shoplifting amounted 'to nine offences during the year and it is obvious„ said the Chief, that this is a crime that is not easily detected or is not reported to police when it is known. More and more of the stores are using undercover detectives to catch shoplifters now, he reported. In the case of bicycles being stolen (usually "borrowed" as a means of transportation from point A to B) , about 90 per cent are located but seldom is the culprit apprehended, said the Chief. Mischief and wilful damage incidents dropped from 147 in 1977 to 117 in 1978. The Chief called this decline "en- couraging" but went on to point out that the value involved in these offences rose 47.45 per cent. "Some of this can be attributed to inflationary Hilgendorff... • from page 6 level if we cut the force. We wouldn't get the same coverage," said Judge F.G. Carter who added that he could appreciate the mayor's concern for the taxpayers` money. Mayor Worsell went on to request that Chief King have his men walk around the Square oc- cassionally instead of always driving around in order to get acquainted with some of "the people who pay their wages". "I don't even know who this flilgendorff is.," the Mayor said. The Chief said he would make a note to tell his men this. The police commission further approved a recommendation from Chief King that Constable Third Class Richard B. Livesey be upgraded t $econd CIass-tonstabl�e effective January 24. costs but many offences did, involve considerable damage. Slightly more than one third of the value was recovered by way of restitution by the culprits: Street sign's were the target in many instances; in one night over 40 were pushed over. This type of offence is done haphazardly and there is usually no known reason for spite against the victim," the Chief pointed out through his report. In the clearance or solving of crime, either by way of a charge or otherwise, the rate stands at 54.38 per cent, the Chief said. This is stil better than average, he told the commission. Of special note, he said, is the clearance rate far break, enter and theft crimes (54.54 per cent). Many police departments still have about a 40 per cent clearance rate, he added. DRUGS AND BOOZE Chief King reported that drug offences rose very slightly in 1978. He said the incidence of drug offences is not as high as it was two or three years ago. However, while drug offences rose only 6.25 per cent in Goderich last year, the rate of liquor offences still continues to rise d'rarriatically, said the Chief. Liquor offences"' rose from 196 in 1977 to 249 in 1978 and liquor seizures rose over 11 per cent. When questioned on this subject, Chief King said that most liquor offences are the result of the police finding open bottles of liquor in cars. The actual incidence of under age drinking is not as high as it used to be, he said. In his report he stated, "Although the legal age for drinking has now been raised to 19,• I do not foresee any change in the trend and feel that our liquor offences will continue to rise." TRAFFIC PROBLEMS Traffic violations were enforced by active mobile patrols and use of radar, Chief Kingtold the commission. Traffic charges declined by more than 14 per cent and warnings for minor traffic infractions (usuallyfor equipment deficiencies) increased by more than four per cent, for an overall decline in. traffic violations of slightly over 10 per cent. Criminal driving of- fences rose by 67.74 per cent with 12 incidences of failing or refusing the breath test (as compared to eight in 1977) and 17 cases of impaired driving (as compared to 10 in 1977) among them. One fatal motor vehicle accident marred the Motor Vehicles Accident rate, the Chief told the edmrn-ission. Personal injury accidents declined 18.18 per cent and property damage ac- cidents fell by over five per cent. There were 255 motor ' vehicle accidents in 1978 as compared to 272 in 1977. The main causes for these accidents in Goderich, said the Chief, are poor driving habits (especially. when reversing and leaving Stop streets) and failing to, adapt to poor weather conditions. SUBPOENAS The task of serving summons and subpoenas is still performed by policemen despite strong efforts from the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police .that this task lie done by other than trained constables, said the Chief. The number declined„in 1978 by over 13 per cent but the 615 which wef'e served still cost . the taxpayer about $1 115, the Chief pointed '(gut. This is based on 15 Minutes for travel time, service of the document, "backing" of same (signing the af- fidavit) and swearing to it before a J.P. The 15,375 hours involved constitute 3.84 weeks of work for one man. In addition 118 sum- mons and subpoenas were mailed out by the police department secretary. "In my annual report for 1977 I had indicated I was checking on this to see if the police could get out of this task and have it done by the Justice of Police please with fines BY JOANNE BUCHANAN The Goderich Police Commission received and filed an Order -in -Council reappointing Earl Rawson to the com- mission effective January 3 when it met for its regular monthly meeting on Tuesday. The police budget for 1979 was discussed briefly. Th.is•..budget is to include the costs for the Central. Dispatch. System and a sick leave reserve fund and represents about a nine per cent increase over last year's budget. It must still be approved by town council. The accounts for the month of December totalling $18,323.70 were ordered paid by the commission. Goderich Police Chief Pat King gave his ac- tivity reports for 'the months of November and December. The Chief said he and the rest of the department were pleased with the substantial fines and sentences being levied by the provincial court lately. He said, he was sure these fines said,, sentences would be felt by the troublemakers. He listed some of these— a $100 fine for possession of stolen goods; a $200 fine for possession of stoeln goods; a $150 fine for causing a distrubance; a $108 fine and 90 day licence suspension for careless driving; 14 days in jail and a $700 fine for lin - paired driving; and a $300 fine for forging a document. Chief King gave the rest of the committee an update on the Central Dispatch System. Upon hearing this update, the commission decided •to ask the Canadian General Electric Company for a progress report of the work done so far; to find out the status of the contract for the work; and to gather together all the information on the project such as the confirmation of the Ontario Police Com- mission grant and the formal approval of the system from the technical services branch ^ of the OPC. Chief King informed the commission that the new .unmarked police cruiser purchased in December was now in operation mainly for anti- crime patrols. To the Unfit If you just sit You vyon't quit Being unfit. POIMOPOritilit rn.l..nm,n M0.wT11.lu 1 0/,1111.,.11,• the Peace. This was not his annual report that possible and so the several Goderich police department will continue officers attended courses in this duty," Chief King at the Ontario Police told the commission: College in Aylmer. Sgt. Bacon attended a fraud JUVENILES investigation course, P.C. Hall attended a criminal investigation course, P.C. Hilgendorff attended a youth officers course, and Y.C. Hilgendorff and P.C. Dixon attended a two-day seminar in London on child abuse in- vestigations. - Since the Popen case of child abuse in Sarnia, co-operation between the police departments and Children's Aid Societies has been stressed and this will be done locally, reported the Chief. The Chief reported that for the third consecutive year he had been requested to sit on the Training Committee of the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police. This committee helps for- mulate courses at the Ontario Police College. In his report, the Chief reminded the com- mission that Sergeant Mervin L. Witter, a member of the force for ten years, resigned in November to go into, • a new field of employment and Mrs. Rosalene Barger, secretary - dispatcher left.in early December on aternity leave. She was replaced by Greta McKale. ,The number of juveniles (persons under '16 years of age) coming to •the attention of the police for committing crimes decreased in 1978. Of the 112 juveniles dealt with during 1978, 82 were boys and 30 were girls (as compared to 93 boys and 36 girls in 1977). "Generally,' our young people were even better behaved than the previous year," Chief King stated in his report. Chief King told the commission that ,domestic disputes had dropped over 24 per cent in 1978. He called this a' "healthy sign". There was a decrease in the amount of overtime paid to police in 1978 over 1977. With 1977 being Jubilee -3 year, extra overtime had been ex- pected. One interesting item in the annual report showed that 54 restricted firearms had been registered in 1978 as compared to only 16 in 1977, an increase of over 200 per cent. Most of this occurred during Amnesty Month (Novem-- ber). Chief King said in Damages to this car driven by Edith Shiel were estimated at $2,000 after the vehicle was involved in a collision with a transport truckdriven by Henning Glimsholt. Goderich police said both vehicles were turning onto Huron Road and were side by side when the transport struck the side of the Shiel vehicle. The driver of the truck was unaware he had struck the car and did not stop after the mishap. The _truck was undamaged and no charges were laid. -Photo by Jeff Seddon) . 11 Project contrary to plan Goderich township council turned down a proposal for 66 seasonal residences at its ' last meefing believing the project to be contrary to the township's official plan. The units were proposed by the Ontario Ministry t Housing and the plan was submitted by Ron Samw'ays. The cottage subdivision was to be built on Highway 21 near Bayfield- on land now housing a golf course. The land is currently zoned recreational to permit the golf course to operate but council felt that the recreational zoning does not permit the erection of seasonal residences.. In other business council donated- $100—to both the Clinton Spring Fair and the Bayfield Fall Fair. A request was made to council for financial help for the Bayfield Fair and council, expecting a similar request to be made by the Clinton fair committee, donated $100 to Clinton. Ron Fleming, a spokesman for the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food, met with council to ex- plain " the Agricultural Code of Practice and standards and practices outlined under the Code. Turn to page 18 HAC spared from the hatchet The Goderich Area Housing ction committee (HAC) was spared from the town council's hat- chet Monday night when council voted to keep the committee active for at least another two years. Council delayed, naming people to HAC when it struck its com- mittees in December. The delay was suggested after some members of council could see no purpose to continuing HAC because they felt the work the committee set out to do had been done: Reeve Eileen Palmer suggested to, council that there was no need to. keep the committee active' because she felt there was nothing for it to do. Palmer pointed out that the committee was originally created to set the wheels in motion for the town's senior citizens' units. She said the senior citizens' building is now in council's hands and the committee's 'terms of references have been met. The reeve suggested the committee be held in abeyance to be reformed if council had something for it to do. „Council delayed a decision on the com- mittee preferring to meet tvith its members to see if they felt there was a need for . it to continue to function. HAC members appealed to- council claiming many of the things'„ committee members set out to do had not been done. They pointed out that the senior citizens units were just part of the work given the committee. HAC set about to determine a need for a senior citizens' complex Garden Club elects officers for 1979 The 'Goderich Garden Club held its annual meeting at the Robertson Memorial School o'n Wednesday evening, January 17, Secretary Eileen O'Brien reviewed a year full of variety in'program and of active par- ticipation in the life of the town. Bus trips took mem- bers to the Toronto Flower Show, the Royal Botanical Gardens in Hamilton and Reeves Nursery in Woodbridge. Topics studied . at meetings included control of insects and diseases in 'plants, organic gardening mulches and designing Christmas decorations. A highlight of the year was the presentation by Miss Martha Veldhuis of a display of cacti and other plants from the Veldhuis Greenhouses. The Club donated $300 toward the plantings in Jubilee and Gloucester Parks. It presented a Grow ..Lite stand to the Bluewater Centre for the lfievelopmentally Han- dicapped and presented the popular and beautiful Flower Festival in the Courthouse in 'July. Members of thetarden Club feel much indebted to the Royal Botanical Gardens in Hamilton which,provides many speakes and much in- formation to garden clubs in Ontario and en- thusiastically supported its acquisition of a Mobile "caching Unit and its building program with • (lonatinnQ Members also assisted at the Ontario Hor- ticultural Society booth at the International Plowing Match. There are presently 8T members in the senior Garden Club and 29 in the Green Thumbers junior club. , The executive for the comingyear is " as follows: president - Frances Worsell; past - president -Janet Kalb- fleis`ech; secretary - Annette Stemp; treasurer -Marian Shaw; publicity -Dorothy Wallace; program -Lois McGill and Bea Spading; membership -Edith' Argyle and Norma Hazlitt; telephone -Ivy Blay, Jean Peart, Stella Crawford and Jessie Beach; flower festival - Sue Gower and Elna McLean; social con- venors -Vi Rutherford and Brenda Gibson; direc- tors -(one year) -Don Stewart, Edna Shaw, Edith Argyle and Bea Sperling; and (two year)- Jessie'Beach,`Irene Todd, Bill Wisser and Eileen O'Brien. Following the annual meeting, Don Pullen, Agriculture Represen• tati••ve for Huron County, described the programs and services provided by the Ministry of Agriculture and Food. Smile + + + You don't have tro- lie awake nights to succeed. ,lust stay awake days. four years ago and "discovered that not only was there a need for the units but there were a 'great number of people willing to occupy the units immediately. The committee worked hard for three years promoting the project and turned a suggested location for the units, a proposal for the building t;nd costs of the project over to council for approval and to have the town acquire•land for the units. Other duties assigned HAC when it was created Were to determine if anything could he done in Goderich to stimulate the GODERICH EEDS A JOHN DEERE EALERU. housing market and if anything could he done to create more rental units in town. Neither of those jbb receiv much at - tent -•'.m the corn- niitte• since it devoted much of its efforts to the senior citizens' units. Councillor Elsa Haydon asked for a recorded vote on the committee motion. Deputy -reeve Bob Allen and councillors Haydon, Stan Profit, Jim Searls and James Magee were in favor of the committee remaining while mayor Harry Worsell, reeve. Palmer and councillors John Doherty and Brian Knights were opposed. I���IIIIIl111111p1 Illllli�' A John Deere contract will be a valuable addition to your business. Become a dealer of our fast-moving Consumer Products, and you'll be ,part of a business that never knows when to stop. Because there's a dependable John Deere product for every time of the year. With John Deere you're backed by a 3.6 billion dollar corporation with a reputation for quality and fast service. Bofh you and your customers can count on that. Asa John --.Deere dealer. you'll enjoy a wide variety of benefits, including liberal terms, excellent discounts, warranty rates, .and very attractive retail financing plans. 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