The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

Average taxpayer to pay an extra $14 Continued from page1 7 · Thursday, December 8, 2011 OAKVILLE BEAVER · www.insideHALTON.com and five civilian contract positions. Crowell said changes in the justice system have made policing incredibly more complex and time-consuming. "The time spent by police on investigations, court preparations and taking a case through the justice system has skyrocketed." Compared to 30 years ago, he said a break-and-enter charge takes 60 per cent more time, an impaired driving charge takes 250 per cent more time and a domestic violence call takes 960 per cent more time. Crowell said he expects to save about $450,000 through the uploading of court security and prisoner transportation costs from the municipalities to the Province, which begins in April. Halton continues to maintain the lowest officer-to-population and costper-capita ratios of neighbouring police services. "We continue to have one of the lowest crime rates in the country," said Crowell. "I don't take full credit for that, but our service delivery model plays a role." Burlington Councillor Marianne Meed Ward asked about the officer-percrime ratio in Halton. "I know neighbouring municipalities have significantly higher crime rates." Crowell said while Halton is much lower than its neighbours in crime severity rate, he said it's difficult to compare. "Some organizations will have two-person vehicles. That's by contract and it doesn't necessarily mean they're more crime ridden than we are." BurlingtonCouncillorPaulSharman raised concerns about the low policeper-population ratio as Halton's population continues to grow. "Given the few number of cops, the increase in population presumably reflects the nature of crime as it exists. What's the probability the nature of crimes will change if we grow dramatically?" Crowell said that could well be a reality in Halton. "It's not only population growth, but also higher density, growth patterns and demographic changes," he said, adding growth could involve an increase to the officer ratio. The 3.2-per cent police budget increase would result in a regional tax increase of about $14, bringing the average regional taxes paid in Halton to about $1,318, a 1.1-per cent increase from 2011. Say Santa! Free photos and videos with Santa! November 20­December 24 Sunday­Monday Tuesday­Friday Saturday Christmas Eve 11am­5pm 10am­8pm 10am­6pm Reservations only* Your memorable experience with Santa will be captured digitally by photo and video, which you can download, print or send to friends ­ all for free! You're also invited to bring your own camera! Donations will be accepted with 100% of the proceeds benefitting the organization Sleeping Children Around the World. Paws & Claus Pet Photos Mondays, 6pm­9pm Nov. 28, Dec. 5, 12 & 19 Reservations required* All four-legged furry friends are invited to have a free photo taken with Santa. Donations will be accepted with 100% of proceeds benefitting the Lions Foundation of Canada Dog Guides. * Space is limited. In-person reservations only, booked on a first come, first served basis. Visit Guest Services to reserve your time slot. Visit oakvilleplace.com for more information.