 By Staff
BURLINGTON, ON November 28, 2011 – Three youths got a bit of a surprise when they learned their pictures may have been on their Facebook page but it was also captured by a taxi driver who one of the three punched in the face hard enough to require hospitalization..
The three hailed a taxi-cab in the area of Cumberland Avenue and New Street, Burlington and were driven to their destination in the area of New Street and Appleby Line. The taxi driver asked for payment. The passengers became belligerent and it was apparent that they were not going to pay the fare. The taxi driver turned his head to speak with the passengers in the back seat and was immediately punched in the face by one of the passengers. All three passengers then fled on foot.
 With video surveillance in taxis now - they get to see the bad stuff and the funny stuff and if you're up to funny stuff - who owns that image? The cab was equipped with video surveillance equipment that provided footage of all three suspects. The footage assisted police in identifying the suspects. On November 25th, a 17-year-old Burlington youth was arrested and charged with:
• Assault Causing Bodily Harm
• Transportation Fraud
• Fail to Comply with YCJA Probation
The remaining youths, 15 and 17 years of age from Burlington, are being investigated for Transportation Fraud. That footage will be shown in court – it will not be a pleasant day for the youths.
In this case the video surveillance helped solve a crime – but it appears as if the thing is on all the time. Care to guess what the cab drivers will be watching when they get together socially?
[face]
 By Staff
BURLINGTON, ON November 27, 2011 The Halton Regional Police Drug and Morality Unit initiated an investigation into the trafficking of cannabis marihuana and oxycodone in the City of Burlington during which they observed a person who has now been accused of trafficking in drugs meet with another female in Burlington for the purpose of trafficking. After the meeting was concluded the female was arrested. Investigators recovered a small quantity of the drug at that time.
The police then obtained a search warrant under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act to search the residence of the accused. Police came up with approximately 40 grams of cannabis marihuana, 24 grams of cannabis resin, 200 oxycodone pills (Percocet and oxycontin), indicia of trafficking and $425.00 dollars in Canadian currency. The approximate street value of the drugs was $5175.
Marie VANDONGEN, 47 years, of Burlington was released from custody on a Promise to Appear and an Undertaking before an Officer in Charge. She had been charged with: Trafficking in Cannabis Marihuana, Possession of Cannabis Marihuana for the Purpose of Trafficking, Possession of Cannabis Resin for the purpose of Trafficking, Possession of Oxycodone for the Purpose of Trafficking
The laying of these charges suggests there is an active drug user community in the city.
 Police are busy investigating and laying drug charges in the city. Is there a serious drug problem and should there be a different approach to handling drug offenses? And who is buying the stuff? Halton Regional Police also initiated an investigation into a person residing at a Burlington area motel. Police had earlier arrested a man after stopping a vehicle in central Burlington. The man was in possession of a half ounce of cocaine and several oxycodone tablets. When police executed a Criminal code Search Warrant at the motel room where the suspect was residing they seized 1.5 kilograms of cannabis marihuana, a prohibited weapon (flick knife) and numerous pieces of suspected stolen identification.
Steven FENTON, 25 years, of Burlington has been charged with Possession for the Purpose of Trafficking (cocaine), Possession of a Controlled Substance (cannabis marihuana – over 30 grams), Possession of a Controlled Substance (oxycodone), Possession of a Prohibited Weapon, Fail to Comply with Prohibition Order, Possession of Credit Card Data (three counts), Identity Theft (five counts)
Tia MCCULLOUGH, 24 yrs, of Burlington was also charged with Possession of a Controlled Substance (cannabis marihuana – over 30 grams), Possession of a Prohibited Weapon, Possession of Credit Card Data (three counts) and Identity Theft (five counts)
These arrests are indicative of an active police effort to arrest drug dealers – and also tells us that there are people in the city buying the stuff. All the drug dealers are doing is meeting a demand. Illegal, yes – but doing more to plug the demand side will lesson the supply side – and it is the supply side of the drug business that is really foul and dangerous. The weapon found by the police was meant to hurt people.
Investigators remind the public to utilize Crime Stoppers to report on any illegal drug, gang, or gun activity at 1 800 222-TIPS(8477), through the web at www.haltoncrimestoppers.com or by texting ‘Tip201’ with your message to 274637(crimes).
 By Staff
BURLINGTON, ON November 24, 2011 – Thieves forced the door at a South Service Road location last weekend and then broke into a main floor office at 5045 South Service Road and made off with a 47” Samsung LCD TV and a Nintendo Wii.
Tiger Cats are out of the Gray Cup – wonder what else the thieves want to watch ?
Anyone with information on this or any other crime is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1 800 222-8477 (TIPS) or through the web at www.haltoncrimestoppers.com or by texting “Tip201” with your message to 274637 (crimes)
 By Staff
BURLINGTON, ON November 22, 2011 – The Halton Regional Police Service have started their holiday R.I.D.E. campaign – and have once again partnered with local students, businesses and community organizations for the sixth year to offer “RIDE 101”, a program designed to educate drivers, particularly young and future drivers, of the importance and responsibility while driving and the consequences associated to mixing alcohol or drugs and operating a motor vehicle.
R.I.D.E. is the acronym for Reduce Impaired Driving Everywhere and was started in 1997 as a program to get control over the then increasing number of drunken driver fatalities on highways. There was a time when Christmas parties in private homes frequently had the host saying “Have one for the road”. Like ashtrays – that phrase has disappeared but drinking drivers have not – R.I.D.E. will be out there in force. If you’re dumb enough to drink and drive – keep your lawyer’s business card in your wallet – you will need it.
High schools from across the Region will be participating in the program. Burlington’s Nelson High will be the participating school December 6th.
 Amazing picture, amazing headache, amazingly stupid - a drunk driver. The official launch will take place at Iroquois Ridge High School, 1123 Glenashton Drive, Oakville, where Halton Police RIDE 101 officers will team up with students from Iroquois Ridge to distribute RIDE 101 educational information, provide students an opportunity to test roadside screening devices and put all students through a series of simulated ‘road side’ sobriety tests during a fun, yet educational format.
The night component will entail members of the student council assisting designated officers in speaking with drivers of stopped vehicles during a R.I.D.E. spot check and distributing ‘Think of Me’ cards and information pamphlets on the consequences of impaired driving. The ‘Think of Me’ cards are hand-drawn and coloured by grade four, five and six students and reflect on that child’s perception of drinking and driving.
The daytime component will be held within the school from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and the spot checks will be conducted from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. out front of the school.
The Halton Regional Police are grateful for the community partners who are supportive of this worthy endeavour, including: the Halton Catholic District School Board, the Halton District School Board, Mothers Against Drunk Drivers (M.A.D.D.), McDonald’s restaurants and Tim Horton’s.
 By Staff
BURLINGTON, ON November 21, 2011 – Are you interested in learning more about the Forensic Identification Unit, the Tactical and Rescue Unit, or the Collision Reconstruction Unit? Are you curious to know what it’s really like to be a police officer? Want to know about fraud and identity theft prevention?
The Halton Regional Police Service still has spots available for the upcoming session of the Citizen Police Academy. This informative and innovative program runs from 7-10 pm every Tuesday night for ten weeks, between January 24th and March 27th.
Each week participants are given presentations on various aspects of the Police Service. Just a few of the areas of the Police Service that are covered include Recruiting, Hostage Negotiations, Major Crime Investigations, Diversity, Police Training Unit, Polygraph, Morality/Drugs, and the Communications Bureau.
 Halton Regional Police offering community, police support training. Application form on the web site This voluntary program is designed for anyone who wants to improve their knowledge of their local Police Service, and policing in Canada in general. Preference is given to persons who reside in, work in, or own a business in the Region of Halton.
Sergeant Kim Hill, Community Policing Support, is the driving force behind this effort. She can be reached at 905 825-4747 x4901 or be in touch with Wendy Gzechowski, Community Policing Support, 905 825-4747 x5042
There is more information on the HRPS web site along with an application form.
www.haltonpolice.ca – click on Community Policing/Public Safety & Education folder.
 By Staff
BURLINGTON, ON November 11, 2011 Between August 29th and September 10th, five nail and hair salons on Plains Rd, in the area of King Rd were broken into. In each incident the front door was smashed to gain entry. Small amounts of cash ranging from $10 to $100 were stolen. In one of the break and enter, a 42 inch LCD television was taken.
This type of petty crime is often the result of drug addicts looking for something easy and can be a signal that there are concerns about safety in the community.. The police know how to handle this type of situation but they need your eyes on the street. Be vigilant.
Anyone with information on this or any other crime is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1 800 222-8477 (TIPS) or through the web at www.haltoncrimestoppers.com or by texting “Tip201” with your message to 274637 (crimes)
 By Staff
BURLINGTON, ON November 3, 2011 Halton Police are really interested in talking to the three suspects that broke into a Liquor Control Board of Ontario store on Appleby Line at 4:48 in the morning.
The suspects used rocks to smash the front window and gain entry to the store and then grabbed about 70 bottles of assorted liquor, loaded it into a waiting truck and were gone before police arrived. Typical smash and grab..
 Thieves decided to stock up early on their Christmas Cheer - broke into LCBO and ran off with 70 bottles. There is video surveillance that depicts three fully disguised suspects committing the break-in. All three suspects are believed to be male, at least one of which is a white male.
A few days later an employee of Bombay Chutney Restaurant, on Dundas Street in Burlington, was robbed of the day’s cash receipts.
The victim and two other employees had just closed the restaurant and all entered a vehicle that was parked out front. The employees were about to drive away, when the suspect appeared at the driver’s door. The suspect spoke to the driver (victim) indicating that he required some assistance with a broken down vehicle, but then told the victim that he had a gun and demanded money.
The victim refused to give up the money; however the suspect reached into the car and grabbed a bag containing the day’s receipts and fled.
There were no injuries and no gun was seen.
The suspect is described as: Male, dark complexion, 5’7” – 5’9,” wearing a black hooded sweatshirt, a mask covering a portion of his face, black pants and running shoes.
Anyone with information on this or any other crime is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1 800 222-TIPS(8477), through the web at www.haltoncrimestoppers.com or by texting “Tip201” with your message to 274637(crimes).
By Staff
 BURLINGTON, ON. October 31, 2011 Loss Prevention Staff pounced on two thieves at the Wal-Mart store on Fairview Street yesterday at 5:30 p.m.
The lone male suspect was caught outside the store with approximately $560 worth of stolen merchandise stuffed into a shopping bag. Police were brought in and further investigation revealed an accomplice, and the discovery of a parked vehicle belonging to the suspects. The vehicle was loaded with additional stolen property.
 Retail store cameras catch every move a thief makes - they see you even if you're not a thief The same two suspects were already being investigated for another Wal-Mart theft that occurred on October 15th at the Dundas Street location in Burlington. In that incident the suspects loaded up two shopping bags with shaving razors and blades totaling $6000.
Two from Toronto were charged with multiple offences:
Steven BENNETT, 38 years, of Toronto has been charged with Theft Over $5000; Theft Under $5000 and possession of Stolen Property Under $5000 They got this guy coming and going – look for some plea bargaining on this one.
Hali SNOW, 32 years, also of Toronto has been charged with theft Over $5000., theft under $5000., possession of Stolen Property Under $5000 and fail to comply with a Probation Order (two counts) Ms Snow is clearly not a nice lady.
By Staff
 BURLINGTON, ON October 21, 2011 – On October 20th at 10:36 p.m. Halton Police got an alarm call from the Future Shop, 3060 Davidson Court, Burlington. Thieves had broken into a vacant store next to the electronics store, broken through the wall and began stealing.
Suspects stole approximately $30, 000 in electronics, including Apple iPads (second generation), BlackBerry Playbooks, and Beats by Dr Dre headphones.
The following suspect descriptions were acquired from surveillance video footage:
 Safe, confidential place to help keep your community crime free. Suspect 1 – Male, wearing a blue jacket with a white vertical stripe on the arms, black hooded sweater with the hood up, jeans, and gloves.
Suspect 2 – Male, white, mid to late 40’s, dark hair, wearing a black baseball hat, black coat, white running shoes, dark pants carrying a hockey bag,
Suspect 3 – Male, white, wearing a dark jacket, dark jeans, dark shoes, carrying a hockey bag.
Anyone with information on this or any other crime is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1 800 222-TIPS(8477), through the web at www.haltoncrimestoppers.com or by texting “Tip201” with your message to 274637(crimes).
By Staff
 BURLINGTON, ON October 27, 2011 This is an odd one. Sometime last week unknown suspect(s) smashed the front glass door to gain entry to A1 Transmission located on 4179 Harvester Road. It appears that the lobby and the office were entered, however no items were disturbed. Total loss of the damage glass door is valued at $300.
Here is what is odd about this: – the break in took place sometime between 1:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. on October 22nd, a Saturday – in the afternoon to early evening.
Wouldn’t the shop have been open at that time?
 Fuzzy information on this Crime Stopper request for help. The police report says that shortly after the break and enter, (hold it – they have the time as between 1:30 pm and 8:00 pm – confusing) a small modified blue Honda car was observed exiting the driveway at a high rate of speed. The vehicle was last seen travelling westbound on Harvester Road.
The whole story obviously isn’t here – but if you know something both Crime Stoppers and the police would appreciate your help.
Anyone with information on this or any other crime is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1 800 222-8477 (TIPS) or through the web at www.haltoncrimestoppers.com or by texting “Tip201” with your message to 274637 (crimes)
By Staff
 BURLINGTON, ON October 21, 2011 The police need your help in locating a vehicle that struck a 12-yr-old girl, at the intersection of Appleby Line and Lakeshore Road, Burlington early in October.
It was 4:30 pm. In the afternoon, the girl had just exited her school bus and was walking westbound across Appleby Line when a vehicle travelling west on Lakeshore Road, turned north onto Appleby Line and struck her.
The vehicle ran over the girl’s foot, causing her to fall to the ground and scrape one of her knees. As a direct result of being struck, the girl sustained a fractured foot.
The driver of the vehicle stopped briefly, but subsequently left the scene prior to police arrival. The police are looking for a male, non-white, 45-55 years old, short black hair (spiky), wrinkly face, with a high-pitched voice. The driver was wearing blue jeans and a jogging style ‘Adidas’ jacket.
The vehicle is a black, 4-door sedan, with a spoiler on back.
The driver of the vehicle knew what he had done – he could have and should have remained at the scene of the accident. For failing to do so – he just may spend some of his time in a jail cell – that will only happen if he is apprehended – and that will only happen if you help. Keep your streets safe – make the call if you know anyone who drives a black four dour sedan with a spoiler on the back. Police will take it from there.
Anyone with information on this or any other crime is asked to contact Detective John Ophoven at 905 825-4747 x2307, or Crime Stoppers at 1 800 222 TIPS(8477), the web at www.haltoncrimestoppers.com or by texting “Tip201” with your message to 274637(crime).
By Staff
 BURLINGTON, ON October 20, 2011 Halton Regional Police Service is still investigating the theft of cigarettes from a convenience store in Burlington.
Sometime between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. on July 24th, unknown suspect(s) entered the rear storage area of the Big Bear Convenience Store located at 450 Appleby Line and removed several cartons of cigarettes. The suspect(s) then exited through the back door leading into a laneway.
The store was open for business at the time of the theft. What – is someone kidding? No insurance claim on this one – and you have to know that someone who knows the a store and how it operates was the one who provided the information to the culprits that made off with the smokes.
Anyone with information on this or any other crime is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1 800 222-8477 (TIPS) or through the web at www.haltoncrimestoppers.com or by texting “Tip201” with your message to 274637 (crimes)
By Staff
 BURLINGTON, ON October 17, 2011 – While Thanksgiving weekend is a bit behind us now – it is a date that will remain on the minds of a number of people in Halton Region who had unintended meetings with a police cruiser or an unmarked police car during the holiday.
Halton Regional Police report that laid the following charges:
Impaired Driving – 9 charges
Roadside Suspensions – 14
 - More than 500 people got to see this crest up real close and personal on Thanksgiving weekend. More than 500 calls to lawyers made later in the day.
Distracted Driving – 79 charges(including 43 in relation to hand-held devices)
Aggressive Driving – 405 charges(including 340 for speeding)
Seatbelt Offences – 22 charges
Prohibited Driving – 7 charges
Dangerous Driving – 4 charges
These were part of a national road safety partnership called Operation Impact and they will certainly have an “impact” on those that were pulled over. The goal of the program was to remind drivers that an essential part of traffic education and enforcement is to save lives and reduce injuries on our roadways.
Assigned officers focused on behaviour that puts drivers, passengers and other road users at risk: impaired driving, seat belt use and all aspects related to aggressive/distracted driving. The focus resulted in a total of 540 Highway Traffic Act charges being laid. Great day for the lawyers.
By Staff
 BURLINGTON, ON October 14, 2100 The Halton Regional Police seek the public’s assistance in identifying a car theft suspect. And if you’re offered a good deal on a 2007 Jaguar – call the police.
Get the picture. It is a Tuesday, October 11, 2011 to be exact at 2:45 p.m. A man enters a car dealership on the South Service Road and Bronte Road, Oakville.
While there the man steals a set of keys and walks out into the dealer parking lot and drives off with a car. How did the man manage to lift the keys off whatever hook they were on ? No one at the dealership is saying and the police didn’t provide that level of detail. All anyone is saying is that the last the people at the dealership saw was the car being driven off the lot and heading west.
By using the cameras that track all movement along the QEW the police were able to track the car until it exited at Eastport Drive, Hamilton.
 A 2007 Jaguar XJR - black, last seen speeding west on QEW - exiting at Westport. The vehicle was a black, 2007 Jaguar XJR. When stolen it had an Ontario dealer licence plate of 960 DMY affixed to it.
The man is described as white, early 20’s, very short dark hair, 5’8″, 135 lbs, wearing large sunglasses, grey dress shirt with a black tie, dark pants (no belt) and wearing skateboard type shoes that were black with a unique light blue design.
Anyone with information that would assist in this investigation is asked to contact Detective Constable Paul Craig at 905 825-4747 x2261 or Crime Stoppers at 1 800 222-TIPS(8477), through the web at www.haltoncrimestoppers.com or by texting “Tip201” with your message to 274637 (crimes).
Detectives in Oakville are seeking the public’s assistance in identifying a man responsible for the recent theft of a vehicle. That Jag was in a container on its way to Yugoslavia before the police had fully completed typing out there reports.
By Staff
 BURLINGTON, ON October 12, 2011 It was a full night for a 17 year old Oakville male who managed to stealthily enter three homes and attempt to enter into a fourth on the night of October 9th.
 The officer has complete control of the dog and while the animal is viscous and focused and he wasn’t prepared to let go of the rope the Constable was tugging at – one simple word – Kennel – and the dog slipped to the ground and walked directly to the back door of the police car and jumped in No whimpering, no looking back, no looking for a reward. A simple direct command and an immediate response. The first break in was at an Oakville home where the youth took a purse and set of car keys from the residence and subsequently stole a vehicle from the driveway. The youth repeatedly rammed another vehicle in the driveway to make good his escape, leaving debris strewn throughout the neighbourhood.
Later, early that same morning the youth broke into several units of a townhouse complex in the Northampton Boulevard area in Burlington and entered several other units while residents slept.
Halton Regional Police brought in their K9 team and successfully tracked the male, locating him inside yet another home he had entered.
A 17-yr-old male from Oakville is charged with: Break and Enter (three counts), Attempt Break and Enter, Theft over $5000, Dangerous Driving, Fail to Remain C.C. and Possession of a Controlled Substance.
Because the young man is under the age of 18 his identity is protected under the provisions of the Youth Criminal Justice Act.
The “controlled substance” would have played a large role in the young man’s behaviour.
Detective continue to investigate these incidents and anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Bob Lester at 905 825-4747 x2335 or Crime Stoppers at 1 800 222 TIPS(8477) or though the web at www.haltoncrimestoppers.com or by texting “Tip201” with your message to 274637 (crimes).
By Staff
 BURLINGTON, ON October 6, 2011 Five men with just too much testerone had it out at the McDonalds at Upper Middle Road and Guelph Line last August. The police have yet to track them down – can you help
In the early hours of August 13th 2011 two males were assaulted by a group of unknown males outside the McDonalds restaurant located at Guelph line and Upper Middle Road in Burlington.
Just before 3 a.m. both victims were in a white Dodge pickup truck and waiting in line at the McDonalds drive through. A verbal altercation ensued with a group of five males in another vehicle and all males then exited both vehicles. Both victims were then struck with a baseball bat resulting in one victim being knocked unconscious and sustaining facial injuries. The second victim was struck on the leg.
The five suspects were described as all male white and in their late teens or early twenties.
The driver is described as wearing a white long sleeved shirt and red baseball cap backwards.
The front seat passenger is described as wearing a red shirt.
The suspect carrying the baseball bat is described as having brown hair, approximately 5’10”, 170 lbs, wearing beige pants and
 Crime Stoppers is always looking for help. was ‘not wearing a shirt’ at the time.
The suspect vehicle is described as a small silver car similar to a 2003 Toyota Echo that possibly includes the digits ‘EA1’ or something similar in the licence plate.
Anyone with information on this or any other crime is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1 800 222-8477 (TIPS) or through the web at www.haltoncrimestoppers.com or by texting “Tip201” with your message to 274637 (crimes)
By Staff
 BURLINGTON, ON October 6, 2011 Police have released composite drawings of two suspects who robbed a gas bar in Hornby.
The robbery took place on September 19th, 2011 at approximately 8:30 pm An armed male entered the kiosk of the Hornby Pump Gas Bar and demanded cash from the lone employee. This confrontation resulted in the employee receiving life threatening injuries, leaving him in critical condition.
Investigation has determined that two males attended the gas bar in a vehicle shortly before the attack took place. Investigators are interested in speaking with these individuals, described as:
 One of two suspects the police want to invite in for a conversation. Person of Interest #1: White, 25 to 30 years, 6’0″, medium build/somewhat muscular with black or dark short hair.
 Police drawing of second robbery suspect. Person of Interest #2: White, 40-45 years, 6’0″, salt and pepper collar-length hair.
The vehicle they were operating is described as an older model, 4-door, similar to a Ford Tempo or Mercury Topaz. It was white, off white or light grey in colour.
Anyone with information on this or any other crime is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1 800 222-8477 (TIPS) or through the web at www.haltoncrimestoppers.com or by texting “Tip201” with your message to 274637 (crimes)
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By Pepper Parr
 BURLINGTON, ON October 6, 2010 – Redo that budget and get in some money for the $75.00 fine the city wants to levy for those caught using their skate boards on city streets. Add the victim fee and that $75. which will get you as close to $100. as you want to be.
The city isn`t all that concerned about the money – it just wants to find a way to be able to control the people that are behaving recklessly and feels that a $75. fine will do the trick. Problem with the fine is that there are all kinds of legal and Highway Traffic Act concerns.
This is a delicate area – just about every kid that doesn`t use a bike, uses a skate board to get around and the law as it stands now says you cannot use a skateboard on a public road. You can use it on a side walk or in the bike lane. All the police can do now is talk to you – there is no penalty for them to levy.
The city thinks that giving the police a tool they can use will solve the problem – and when they do that they shift that problem to the police who are going to be expected to exercise discretion.
The problem is with gangs that see skate boarding as almost an extreme sport. Ward 1 councillor Rick Craven reports that there are kids who gather at night on Kerns Road where the hills and the grades are great for skate boarding. They get out there with a van and a video camera, film the thrill ride of someone speeding down the hill and post it on You Tube. The police are powerless for the most part because even if they do catch the kids behaving recklessly they can only warn them off.
Council wants to give the police a bigger stick and wanted to talk about ways that a system of fines could be put in place. But they didn`t want the police to be slapping a $75. ticket on every kid using a skate board on a public street – they wanted the police to use their discretion.
 Can you imagine drivving up the street and seeing this coming at you? Not reckless but not the safest thing to do either. Police didn`t attend the Committee of the Whole meeting – city staff said they were invited, the police say they weren`t. Our information from our media man at Regional Police was that :“ I have spoken with the Burlington Operational Inspector who advised me they were aware of the meeting you are referring to, but they (police) were not asked to be in attendance for it.“ Go figure. Methinks staff were being a little disingenuous. The police are aware of the problem and they too would like to see a solution. They are the people that have to attend when there is an accident and report that a young person has suffered serious head injuries.
Giving police the ability to issue a ticket and then expecting them to use their discretion reflects a bit of misunderstanding as to what police do. They are there to enforce the law. Give them clear rules and they will do their job – expect them to use their discretion and you invite nothing but problems. I suspect too that traffic offence lawyers will have great fun with this one should a ticket case every get to traffic court.
That said, there is a problem. Kids are creating dangerous situations in parts of the city where there are really good hills they can speed down. The city put up signs saying Skate Boarding was Prohibited – the kids tore down the signs.
The problem however is not limited to parts of the city with steep grades. Recently there was a serious accident involving a van and a young man on a skate board who was luging along a flat street. Luging is when a person lays flat on a skate board. The driver of the van just didn`t see the person on the skate board.
This problem is going to call for some very creative thinking by people who are very familiar with the Highway Traffic Act. A new fine of $75. and expecting the HRPS to exercise discretion isn`t the answer to this problem.
Educating the kids isn`t going to solve this problem either. The vast majority of the kids who glide along quiet residential streets with buds plugged into their ears meaning they don`t hear traffic approaching are harming no one. It is just a few that are creating a problem – let`s find a stick that won`t cripple them when they are hit with it – but let`s not put our police in a situation where they have to solve a problem we can`t solve.
The Highway Traffic Act says that bicycles can be used on the streets. Blades and boards can be used on a sidewalk or in a bicycle lane if one exists. Can you imagine the howls from the public if all the skate boards are suddenly on the side walk ?
Sergeant Dave Cross, the Halton Regional Police Service (HRPS) media man, advises that HRPS does not have a Skate Board Swat Team, so we shouldn`t expect to see cruisers out on the prowl along Kerns Road every night
And as for Officer who gave me a speeding ticket for doing more than 60 on Walkers Line, ( I thought the limit was 80) – he did exercise some discretion and cut it back a bit and saved me some points. Will that kind of discretion solve our skate board problem ? Is it worth a try ?
The officer who caught me was parked behind a cluster of bushes – are we going to see officer hiding in hedges along Kerns Road with bicycles at the ready to race after skate board miscreants ?
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By Staff
 BURLINGTON, ON September 29, 2011 A couple of Halton Regional Police plainclothes officers drove over to Hamilton to locate a suspect they wanted to put handcuffs on. The suspect had some outstanding arrest warrants in both Halton Region and Hamilton. Investigation led to a residential address on Victoria Avenue. The police were permitted access to the house by the home owner for the purpose of arresting the suspect.
Two officers went downstairs identifying themselves verbally as police and located the suspect hiding in a crawl space. The suspect sprayed the officers with bear spray, forcing them to retreat from the enclosed area.
Two other officers, stationed outside the house, noticed the suspect emerging from a trap door underneath the front porch. The suspect immediately sprayed those officers and fled.
 Despite the effects of the spray and hampered vision, officers continued to pursue the suspect, while he continually sprayed them. The suspect was eventually apprehended.
You can imagine how ticked those police officers were. One of the officers sustained a serious knee injury when he ran into a fire hydrant while chasing the suspect who was spraying bear repellent at anyone who came near him. It must have looked like a scene out of wild west movie.
The suspect was identified as David Thomas of no fixed address. He was charged with Assault Police (three counts); Breach of Probation (two counts); Fail to Comply with Recognizance (two counts) and possession of a Controlled Substance. Did you know that bear spray was a controlled substance. Hamilton police assisted in the arrest. And Mr. Thomas now has a fixed address.
By Staff
 BURLINGTON, ON September 29, 2011 – The construction industry took another hit the past few days. A loader was stolen from a Longmoor Drive construction site
The equipment was valued at more than $170,000 so you know it wasn’t taken away in a wheel barrow. If you’re offered a chance to buy a 2008 John Deere Loader, Model 544J, take a pass on the offer and give Crime Stoppers at 1 800 222-8477 (TIPS) or through the web at www.haltoncrimestoppers.com or by texting “Tip201” with your message to 274637 (crimes)
There are always equipment thefts from construction sites – the contractors need to find ways to better secure the equipment at night and on weekends and the police might make a practice of driving by known construction sites regularly but randomly as well.
Perhaps the police could provide a service that allowed contractors to call in and let police know there is equipment on a site. They could then do drive byes and keep an eye on things. The thieves will figure out the sites are being watched and look for easier picking.
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