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PAGE 4, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 27, 1977, WHITBY FREE PRESS whitbyS 'MI>f Voice of the County Town Mi The only Whitby newspaper independently owned and opei ERVING OVER 28,000 READERS e Burgess, Publisher-Managing Editor rated by Whitby residents for Whitby resitenrs. Community Editor Published every Wednesday Contributing Editor Production Manager Print & Promotional by M.B.M. Publishingi Manager and Photography Inc. Classified Ad Manager Phone 668-6111 Circulation Manager Mailing Permi The Free Press Building, Member 121 Brock Street North, Better Business Bu P.O. Box 206. Whitby, Ont. Whitby Chamber o -Brian Winter -Jim Quail -Marje Burgess -Robin Lyon -Marlene Byrom -Sharon Lyon t No. 460 of the: ireau of Toronto ofmerce Crime statistics show we need our police station Last year at this time Whitby was faced with the possibility of having its police station closed by the Durham Regional Council as an economy measure. The town council and citizens alike made it very clear to the regional council that such a move was unacceptable, and the council decided to let the station remain open on a 24-hour basis as it had been in the past. This year, the police commission wants to cut the police station to a 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. operation. In light of police statistics and projected growth of the town of Whitby, this too is unacceptable. Statistics issued by the Durham Regional Police show a fluctuation in the number of criminal cases in 1976 compared to 1975. In some cases there was a reduction, and in some cases, an increase in criminal activity in Whitby. What stands out to us is where the crime rate is rising and where it is falling, and what effect this has on the citizens of this town. It is of considerable interest to note a dramatic rise in crimes against persons in Whitby in 1976, whereas crimes against property showed moderate increases in some cases and decreases in others. It is particularly disturbing to see the increase in the number of crimes against persons, where the presence of a police officer is particularly needed to prevent a minor incident from becoming some- thing very serious. There was 1 34.48 per cent increase in crimes against persons in the period of December 1975 to December 1976, compared to the same time period a year before. This included a 22.47 per cent increase in common assaults, a 169 per cent increase in assaults causing bodily harm, a 66 per cent increase in assaults on police officers, a 12.5 per cent increase in use of offensive weapons, a 300 per cent increase in rape cases, 100 per cent increase in, sex offences, and 71 per cent in obstruSting offences. Such incidents as the malicious beating of a 12-year-old boy in West Lynde last October by a gang of marauding teen-agers, seem to be on the increase. An increase of 44 assaults causing bodily harm in one year is something to cause concern among parents and children alike. Crimes against property showed only a moderate increase, and only in certain areas, the most dramatic jump being in shoplifting. Break and enters remained almost the same for both 1975 and 1976, but cases of causing a disturbance jumped from 10 to 37. Driving offences showed a 59.40 per cent increase, with an increase of from six to 29 cases in each major category. Minor driving offences jumped 244 per cent from 29 cases in 1975 to 100 in 1976. Traffic accidents remained about the same, although there was a noteable drop in personal injury accidents, largçly due to the new seat belt laws. Charges under the highway traffic act varied as they do in any community, while liquor offences showed a significant drop. A few other statistics worth noting are the 62.79 per cent increase in lost children, and 23.8 per cent increase in missing persons. Members of the police commission have been saying that the Whitby police station does not get enough use by the public and that only four or five people walk into the station each day. However, statistics show that telephone calls to the 18 Division station increased by 5.88 per cent, five times the growth rate of Whitby in 1976. It defys the imagination to consider closing a police station in a community which has been designated a growth area east of Metropolitan Toronto, especially when 'this growth is leading to a general increase in the crime rate, particularly in crimes against persons. The Whitby Planning Department reports that due to economic and market trends, Whitby's growth rate in 1976 was only 1.5 per cent, but with 500 'building permits issued that year, the growth rate for 1977 is expected to jump to six per cent. Planning Director Kevin Tunney expects a growth rate of five per cent a year for the next five years. This means that 500 new homes will be built each year, bringing 1,700 new residents a year to Whitby. Whitby's population now stands at 27,586. By 1982 it will be 35,000, and by the year 2000 it will be in the neighbourhood of 60,000 people says Mr. Tunney. What does all this mean to the average Whitby resident as far as police protection is concerned? 1. The more people there are in Whitby, the higlier the crime rate will be. 2. The more people there are in Whitby, the greater need there will be for increased police services over a larger area as new sections of the town become developed. 3. The more people there are, the greater need there will be for a centralized police station in Whitby to co-ordinate and manage police activity in the town. A careful study of the accompanying statistics of criminal activity handed by the Whitby police station from December 1975 to December 1976 will indicate how the population increase is affecting the crime rate. The sharp rise in crimes against persons, while the remaining types of crime fluctuate rather moderately, is an indication of what is to come. With all this evidence at hand regarding crime and population growth rates, the regional police commission is still trying to eut back on the service-offered by Whitby's police station. We as citizens of Whitby will be affected by these changes, and it is we who should have the say as to the level of police service we receive in our town. The Whitby Free Press is concerned about this situation. Last year, when the region wanted to close the Whitby police station down, Managing Editor and Publisher Mike Burgess took a leading. part in presenting the Whitby citizens' case to the regional councillors, both personally and through the Whitby Chamber of Commerce. Again the Free Press is ready to take up the fight to save Whitby's police station, but we need your help. Accompanying this editorial is a questionaire, asking your opinion on what kind of service you want from your police station. Please take a moment to fill it in and submit it to us by mail or at our office. This police station issue will keep rising again every year until we, the citizens of Whitby m;ike it clear what our wishes are over the long term regarding police service in our town. This is not just our fight. This is your fight. We want to keep the police station open on a 24-hour basis, not just this year, but every year in the future. Your help will assist us, and you, in retaining the kind of police service we ail want, need and deserve. WHITBY FREE PRESS POLICE STATION SURVEY We want to save the Whitby Police Station. Will you help us? The Whitby Free Press would like to document your views as citizens of Whitby, on the maintenance of the 18 Division police station on Rossland Road. Please take a few minutes to fill in the blanks below, and mail to: WHITBY FREE PRESS BOX 206 WHITBY,ONTARIO L1N 5S1 or deliver to our office at: 121 Brock St. N., Whitby YES NO 1. I would like to see the Whitby police station open 24 hours a day. 2. I would like to see the Whitby police station open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. 3. I would like to see the Whitby police station closed FURTHER COMMENTS: Address Signature The results of this survey will be submitted to the Whitby town council for use by the town's regional representatives in any further debates on the Whitby Police Station. i 1 ke