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Page 20, Whitby Froc Press, Wodnesday, March 31, 1993 Newuni maespolce esons qukr, moe efcient 21) have O p.oliUx By Mark Reesor Durham Regional Police have formed a new unit todeal with non-emergency calls, allowing officers to deal with other priori- ,ties. The 'Alternate Response Unit' (ARU) began operating March 15 as a pilot project in the police service's 1 district that takes in Whitby,.Oshawa and Newcastle. If its initial success continues, it could be extended to the entire regin by 1994. r e ARL operates between 7 a.m. and mignight, and deals with calls where there's "no threat to life, limb or property,' says unit head Sgt. Gord McKechnie. Cails ta the 911 centre are CONSTABLE TODD ROLLAUER Alternate Response Unit (ARU) Police headquarters in Oshawa communicate directly with ARU radio. rated either emergency, requir- ing immediate police assistance, or non-emergency. The non- emergency cal is are redirected to two ARU officers at police head- quarters in Oshawa's 17 division. They either handle the call by phone or send one of four ARU cars -- there's one in Whitby, two in Oshawa and one in Newcastle -. to deal with it, either im- mediately or by appointment at a later time.' McKechnie says "the vast majority" of calls police get are non-emergency such things as after-the-fact hreak-ins, thefts and frauds, vandalism, noise and parking complaints. Numbers from the ARP's first week of operation (March 15 to works on a computer at the centre at Durham Regional . Off icers in the centre can cars, either by computer or Photo by Mark Reesor, Whitby Freee Press 21) have police very excited about how well things are work- ing out. The unit handled 238 calls; five of those were redirected to regular police units and ARU cars responded to 76 -- the rest were handled over the phone. That shows the unit is a very efficient way of dealing with calls, making police more effi- cient and giving the public quicker, more responsive service, says McKechnie. A good example of how well the ARU works would beain the case of a noisy party, says In- spector John Shephard. Under the old system, a car would be dispatched to investi- gate, but "may not get there for an hour because he s got other calls... the party may be 15th on the list, so the complainant has to sit there listening to the noise for an hour." An officer would then have to talk to the complainant and find and caution the person holding the party, which can take a lot of time. Now the call gets sent ta the ARU and they "contact the com- plainant (and) find out where the noise is coming from and what the problem is, by phone." Once the officer finds out who's responsible for the noise, they simply call and tell them of the complaint. That's often enough to resolve the problem, says She- phard. Of course if the problem persists, an ARU unit is sent ta follow up. Businesses or individuals rep orting after-the-fact frauds or other incidents can be handled through a fax machine, says McKechnie. The ARU unit faxes them the appropriate form that they fill out and fax back ta police, who can then investigate it later. Sgt. Jim Adams of Whitby's 18 SEE PAGE 27 Crime Stoppers and Durham Regional Police are asking for the public's help in solving an armed robbery that occurred in Pickering on Wednesday, Jan. 27. At 2:30 a.m., a customer entered the Beckers store at 512 Kingston Rd. and purchased a bag of chips. The customer was described as male, black, aged 20, 5-ft. 7-ms., 140 lbs. He was wearing a red jacket. Within a minute of the customer leaving the store, the two male suspects entered and walked up the the front counter. Suspect #1 pointed a black hand gun at the victim and told him not to move. Suspect #2 then went behind the counter and ordered the clerk to open both cash registers. The suspect then em ptied both drawers into a plastic bag that he had brought with him. The victim was then made to sit on the floor and was handcuffed with his hands behind his back. The suspects then fled the store and were last seen northbound on Rosebank Rond. Possible suspect vehicle is a 1988 Acura Integra or a 1985 Toyota MR2. Suspect #1 is described as male, black, 5-ft. 8-ins., 180 lbs., with a heavy build. He was wearing a black mask with large holes for eyes and mouth and a black jacket. Suspect #2 is described as male, black, 6-ft..2-ins., 160 lbs., with a slim build. He was wearing a blue ski mask, a black jacket and gloves. Another robbery took place at Petro Canda, 555 Whites Rd. in the early morning hours on Jan. 28, and police feel the same suspects may be involved. If you have any information on this or any other serious crimes, call Crime Stoppers at 436-8477, that's 436-TIPS. Crime Stoppers will pay up to $1,000 for information leading to an arrest. Callers are never asked to identify themselves or to testify in court. Sergeant Grant Arnold writes this article to help combat crime.