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SOLOS March 29, 198 40-4 ooo axa 838 oS Pe 2 Bee 2, > 3 Sa = -- ee c= --* ee <-- = st 0) - Making your kids Streetproof By Dave Chmara We may not live in one of the most crime infested areas of the country, but that doesn't mean parents shouldn't do all they can to ensure the-safety of their chil- dren. : : With this in mind, the Schreiber Women's Drop-in Centre held a-seminar on "Streetproofing Your Kids" Monday, March 20. A group of about 20 women ~ and children attended the session which was conducted by Schreiber OPP Community Services Officer Bert Logan. He said, "it couldn't happen in Schreiber, not here," is the atti- tude which many people have in this area. He then told of a man who, in the past year, had sexually assaulted four young girls aged 3, 8, 10, and 11. This man had moved into Schreiber, gained the trust of a number of families, and while babysitting on various occasions, had sexually assaulted the girls. After a number of sexual assaults, the man was arrested and a Show Cause was issued against the individual. This means the police had to show cause as to why he should be off the street. Constable Logan said the judge hearing the case in Thunder Bay was not persuaded of the danger this man posed and subsequently released the man. A couple of months later the man sexually assaulted another girl and was arrested again. This time, police were suc- cessful in Showing Cause and the man was confined to Thunder Bay. Logan said this wasn't a rea- sonable situation as the map had the opportunity to do the Sémé* thing in Thunder Bay as he had in Schreiber. Logan said the man pled guilty to the sexual assault charges and is now in jail. But Logan said he used this example to show that parents shouldn't let a person of the opposite sex babysit their children, if they are not a family member. He explained further that par- ents can call the OPP to have a possible babysitter checked out to 'determine if that person has a police record. ¥ ' The attitude which many peo- ple have, that Schreiber and Terrace Bay are small towns, © closely knit and everybody is friendly, is not necessarily the ~ case. Logan said if he were to pull over five people, two would prob- ably have criminal records. "That's not to say they're all bad people," he explained. People sometimes have criminal records from having made foolish mis- takes in their younger days. But Logan did say that one-in-ten would have a criminal record for a serious offence such as assault, break and enter, or sexual assault. "It may be safer here than in Thunder Bay to walk home at night, but just how safe is it?" "said Logan. The Schreiber Mixed Darts League wrapped up its season last week. The League's Playoffs are being held this Friday and Saturday, March 31 and April 1, at the Schreiber Legion. It's an individual tournament with all members playing each other. For the final standings for the men's and women's leagues, turn to page 9 of this issue. Photo by Dave Chmara "We think we're isolated, hav- ing only one road in (to town) and one road out. But we're not really that isolated," he said. There are all sorts of ways for criminals to get in and out of town without using the highway - and thus avoiding detection. Boats, 4x4s and the trains are just some of the modes of travel crim- inals can use. There are many travellers through town, especially in the summer and few people, if any, know them and what they are like. "Don't let your kids bike to White Sand Lake alone," said Logan. Logan said he is looking for- ward to a Neighborhood Watch Program. or a Block Parent Program being formed in Schreiber. He said he would pre- fer a Neighborhood Watch as it makes the neighborhood safer for children (instead of only giving them a safe shelter to go to). It also improves police-community relations and as a result improves the police's clearance rate of crimes. "It puts a responsibility on people to help other people, to help their neighbors," Said Logan. A Block Parent program requires a very supportive com- mittce as it is a much more -- demanding program which requires a lot of work. People have to be home and must be checked out.by the police to determine if they have criminal records. One lady said if nothing hap- pens for a while, some Block Parents tend to get lazy. They may leave signs up when they are not at home, or forget to put signs up when they are home. Another program which Logan would like to establish is the CAP (community against pushers) pro- gram. This is a program similar to Crime Stoppers in which people can anonymously make a phone call informing police about a drug Situation. Police can't arrest peo- ple based on this information, but by analyzing and compiling the information they receive, the can possibly make arrests. Continued on page 12 SUPERIOR Belluz INSIDE THIS WEEK SHORELINE ; oe INSURANCE LTD. Soreace Bay, Ont Town Improvements Softwood Lumber Just Perfect ; oe gs Oe Juric Zdanveskis | | Changes taking place _ Belair and Liberal Almost perfect often Insurance Specialists! Bikes this summer Task Force summary _ isn't good enough oe he 1-807-824-2933 Page 3 - Page 5 Page 8 825-9646 1-807-825-9393