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

Halton police launch new Crime Mapping website By David Lea OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF Halton residents who want to know more about the criminal activity happening in their neighbourhoods can now access that information through the Halton Regional Police Service website. Halton police unveiled the new Crime Mapping feature to their website, which can be viewed at www.haltonpolice.ca/CrimeFiles/ CrimeMapping/Pages/default.aspx, during Thursday's Halton police services board meeting. The feature displays a map of Halton and symbols indicating a specific type of crime that occurred (e.g. Assault is symbolized by a large A). If the user clicks on the symbol, they will receive information about the date, time and location the incident took place. "The public deserves to know what is happening in the communities they live in, they pay taxes in and that they work in," said Halton Police Chief Stephen Tanner. "This is a really transparent way for us to share all the crimes that are happening in the Region of Halton with our citizens whether they live here or are travelling through the area." Tanner said the `Create an alert/update' heading of the site allows residents to receive e-mail alerts whenever a crime is reported to police in which injuries were caused. Residents can also use the `Date Range' option to see what crimes happened over the past three days, seven days, 14 days or 30 days. Numerous municipalities already have this kind of Crime Mapping feature available. Tanner noted it was implemented in Kingston when he was chief of the Kingston Police Department. "I saw the success of it and the positive feedback from the public in Kingston," said Tanner. "For me it's a no brainer that we should be doing this." Halton Police Superintendent Signy Pittman said another excellent feature to the site is that it is directly connected to Halton Crime Stoppers. That means residents can click on an incident they have knowledge of, click the tip option and send an anonymous online tip to Crime Stoppers. PHOTO COURTESY HALTON REGIONAL POLICE As the site is largely automated, the costs of keeping it in place are low. It will cost the police TRACKING CRIME: A screen capture shows Halton police's new Crime Mapping website. service about $2,000 per year, according to Pittman. Residents can also check back as far as or near their neighbourhood. crimes more quickly," said Tanner. The idea is that residents will become more The criminal occurrences are updated auto- six months to see what crimes have taken place in a particular area of Halton. aware of what is happening around them. matically every 24 hours at midnight. Having what amounts to be an automated "We hope citizens will take that informaThe type of crimes that can be listed on the tion and become a little more suspicious site include breaking and entering, homicide, neighbourhood watch system should offer trewhen they are notified of things happening attempted homicide, robbery, theft, theft of mendous return on the investment made, said and start to look for suspicious vehicles, suspi- vehicle, theft from vehicle, sexual assault, Halton Police Board Chair Robert Maich. The new feature was created in partnership cious people in their neighbourhoods and assault, property crime, drug offences, help us identify the perpetrators of those impaired driving, and traffic collisions in with CrimeReports.com. 7 · Wednesday, January 30, 2013 OAKVILLE BEAVER · www.insideHALTON.com Board of Directors Oakville Senior Citizens Residence (OSCR) is recruiting a volunteer to serve on the Board Oakville Senior Citizens Residence (OSCR), a charitable organization, invites community minded individuals to join its Board of Directors. Board Members are responsible for advancing the mission "Client-focused services that enrich the lives of seniors by promoting wellness, independence and social interaction." Located on Lakeshore Road West, OSCR is a leader in the provision of healthy living for seniors. The Board of Directors, made up of volunteers who support the needs of the Halton senior community, governs the work of OSCR. Directors are recruited and screened through a committee and voted to the Board. A description of the work and responsibilities of the board is available for your interest. For more information about us, please visit www.oakvilleseniors.com. As an organization, OSCR seeks to reflect the strength and diversity of the community it serves. OSCR is the proud recipient of the 3M Award, and has received three year accreditation from CARF International. Candidates should: Be professional and diligent Have professional experience, education and/or training in one or more of the following areas: Community Development, Leadership, Organizational Planning, Board Development, Human Resources or Volunteer Resources Management; Have previous experience serving on a volunteer Board of Directors; Have sincere interest in the senior population; Attend monthly board meetings (2nd Thursday of the month at 2:30 pm) Actively participate in one or more board committees as needed. Candidates are appointed for a 3 year term with the option of renewal for additional 3 one year extensions. Knowledge of Carver Policy Governance is an asset Knowledge of the health care system and the role of the LHINs is an asset. Kindly express your interest and submit your resume by February 15, 2013 to: Sainte-Marie École élémentaire catholique 336 Maurice Dr. Oakville ON 905-845-4472 Les coccinelles d'Oakville Daycare 905-849-0903 OPEN HOUSE - Wednesday, February 6, 2013 · 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Or by appointment. The Nominating Committee Oakville Senior Citizens Residence 2220-2222 Lakeshore Road West Oakville ON L6L 5G5 email: oscr@oakvilleseniors.com