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www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Friday, April 10, 2015 | 6 Anonymity: a Crime Stoppers guarantee In a room the size of a broom closet in the Halton Regional Centre on Bronte Road, the staff of two at Crime Stoppers of Halton receives anonymous tips from area residents of all ages and passes them along to the appropriate authority. That could be Halton Regional Police Service, the humane society, or the Canadian AntiFraud Centre, among others. This small, but mighty, duo performs a vital service that helps keep Halton Region one of the safest places in Canada to raise a family or to do business. Governed by volunteer members of the board of directors, Crime Stoppers of Halton has an impressive track record. Since its inception in December 1988, the team has received nearly 15,000 tips, resulting in more than 1,000 arrests. Thanks to these tips, more than $2.6 million worth of stolen property has been recovered, $18 million worth of drugs has been seized, and 91 weapons have been taken off the streets of our community. The key to Crime Stoppers' success is its 100 per cent guarantee of anonymity. This means that when residents submit tips online, by text or over the phone, Crime Stoppers will never take a name with the tip, nor is there a gender association. Tips by text or over the Internet are encrypted. Crime Stoppers expressly does not use call display, nor does it record phone calls. Before relaying a tip to the appropriate authority, Crime Stoppers ensures it contains absolutely no information that could lead to the identi cation of the tipster. Should a tipster insist that they wish to identify themselves, Crime Stoppers will immediately stop the call and provide them with an alternative number where they can reach police instead. Tips are 100 per cent anonymous. That means a tipster will never be approached by the police or have to testify in court. If a tip results in an arrest, Crime Stoppers of Halton offers a reward of up to $2,000. To collect the money, the tipster simply calls back and identi es themselves with the ID number they were issued when they gave their tip. Again, no names are involved. If there is a reward, the tipster will be directed to one of several drop sites where an envelope with the cash inside will be waiting. No video. No names. Complete anonymity. As a not-for-pro t organization, Crime Stoppers does not receive government funding to pay out rewards, instead relying on donations and fundraising events to raise the capital it needs to operate. Crime Stoppers of Halton is proud of the role it plays in this community. With the support of our residents, businesses, media partners and the police, we are committed to helping keep Halton Region one of the safest regional communities in Canada. -- guest editorial courtesy Crime Stoppers of Halton Editorial I N T H E M A I L "Connected to your Community" 5046 Mainway, Unit 2, Burlington ON L7L 5Z1 General Inquiries: (905) 845-3824 Classi ed Advertising: (905) 632-4440 Circulation: 5300 Harvester Rd., Burlington (905) 631-6095 Volume 53 | Number 29 The Oakville Beaver is a division of Editorial and advertising content of the Oakville Beaver is protected by copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited. Vice­President and Group Publisher of Metroland West Regional General Manager Halton Region Editor in Chief Advertising Director NEIL OLIVER DAVID HARVEY JILL DAVIS DANIEL BAIRD Managing Editor ANGELA BLACKBURN RIZIERO VERTOLLI Photography Director Business Manager Director of Production Bill Coates shows off a postcard from New Zealand as stamp collectors recently united at the 42nd annual Oakville Stamp Show hosted by the Oakville Stamp Club at St. Paul's United Church auditorium. Dealers came from across Ontario, including Kingston, Trenton, North Bay, Lake Huron and Niagara Falls. The show included stamps and postcards for sale and collections, circuit books, and table auctions, among other features. | photo by Eric Riehl ­ Oakville Beaver (Follow on Twitter @halton_photog or facebook.com/HaltonPhotog) SANDY PARE MARK DILLS MANUEL GARCIA Production Manager Director of Distribution CHARLENE HALL KIM MOSSMAN Circulation Manager Letters to the Editor Community should save green space Our family of four moved from Zurich to Oakville almost ve years ago. We chose Oakville after having asked friends (in Canada and Switzerland) who knew Toronto and the GTA well: What area would be most suited to our needs as a family? We love the outdoors and the answer was simple: Oakville. But we needed to be certain. A vigilant look around the GTA for ourselves con rmed Oakville was the perfect place for us. With a beautiful lake, trails, parks, greenspace, charming downtown, and friendly people, we were hooked. The town had a feel about it that no other area we looked at even compared to. Because we loved the area so much, and the fact Oakville professes to be a town that places a premium on the environment, we bought our rst home here shortly after having arrived. In the fall of 2014, we had the opportunity to meet with the Ward 4 councillors Allan Elgar and Roger Lapworth. Both informed us that Saw-Whet Golf Course was to be developed Proud Official Media Sponsor For: Canadian Circulations Audit Board Member into another community supporting homes and businesses (opposite Bronte Creek's east entrance). I was shocked, as were my husband and children. We have walked and biked around the West Oak Trails neighbourhood. Our walks have included the trails alongside Bronte Road and West Oak Trails. We have enjoyed watching the owers bloom in the spring, the monarch butter ies ourish in the summer, the geese, ducks, and red-tailed hawks take ight all year long. The seasons come and go in the elds of the golf course. Even Easter morning brought the joy of snow to the lands, and a blanket of snow surrounded the purple martin birdhouse sitting in the elds. While I understand that one of the biggest reasons why some citizens are opposed to the proposed development is the lack of nancial support for the necessary expansion of infrastructure needed for the additional homes and businesses, my concern lies at a very basic level: What about the greenspace and what about see Protecting on p.11 Recognized for Excellence by Ontario Community Newspapers Association Canadian Community Newspapers Association Proud Official Media Sponsor For: The Oakville Beaver welcomes letters from its readers. Letters will be edited for clarity, length, legal considerations and grammar. In order to be published all letters must contain the name, address and phone number of the author. Letters should be addressed to: The Editor, Oakville Beaver, 5046 Mainway, Unit 2, Burlington ON L7L 5Z1 or via email to ablackburn@oakvillebeaver.com. The Beaver reserves the right to refuse to publish a letter. The Oakville Beaver is a member of the Ontario Press Council. The council is located at 80 Gould St., Suite 206, Toronto, Ont., M5B 2M7. Phone 416-340-1981. Advertising is accepted on the condition that, in the event of a typographical error, that portion of advertising space occupied by the erroneous item, together with a reasonable allowance for signature, will not be charged for, but the balance of the advertisement will be paid for at the applicable rate. The publisher reserves the right to categorize advertisements or decline.