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3 | Friday July 2 8 , 2 0 1 7 | O A K V IL L E B E A V E R | w w w .in sid e h alto n .co m Halton still among Canada's safest communities by David Lea O akville Beaver S taff Halton Region continues to be am ong the safest com m unities in Canada. In an annual crime report released by Statistics Canada this w eek, Halton was listed as Canada' s safest regional m unicipality w ith a population of i0 0 ,0 0 0 or more. This w ill be the eighth year in a row the region has received this distinction. The report, entitled Police reported crime statistics in Canada, 2016 , provides a detailed overview of crime statistics as reported by police services across the country. According to the data, Halton Region: · Had the lowest Crime Severity Index, Violent Crime Severity Index and N on Violent Crime Severity Index w hen compared to Ontario' s "Big f 2 " police services; · Maintained the low est values for each of the indices for eight straight reporting years (2009-2016); · Had the low est overall crime rate, violent crime rate, and property crime rate among Ontario' s "Big 12" police services; · Had the highest w eighted clearance rate (49.8 per cent) of those same police services. Statistics Canada introduced the Crime Severity Index in 2009 as a measure of Halton Regional Police Chief Stephen Tanner | Metroland Media file photo severity of crime com m itted in Canada. Crimes are assigned "seriousness w eights," w hich are determined by the number of people convicted of the crime w ho spend time in jail, and how m uch jail time those individuals serve. The Crime Severity Index is calculated by the number of incidents for each offence and then multiplied by the w eight of that offence. Nationally, Halton ranked 298 out of a total of 305 police services in terms of its overall Crime Severity Index. Only seven com m unities in Canada with populations greater than 10,000 had lower scores. "There are a few really small towns that have a slightly smaller Crime Severity Index than us, but nothing comparable to what w e have continued to achieve over the years," said Tanner. "The other thing I'm particularly proud of this year is that w e have the highest clearance rate, w hen it' s weighted by the Crime Severity Index, of all of our competitors. That m eans w e have less crime, but w e are also doing a significant job of clearing those crimes w hen they do happen." Tanner called the glow ing Statistics Canada report a testament to not only the hardworking uniform ed and civilian members of Halton police, but also to the region and the residents of Halton. "Com m unity involvem ent is huge here," he said. "We have citizens groups, w e have organizations, w e have partner agencies w e w ork closely with, there' s ADAPT (Alcohol, Drug and Gambling Assessm ent, Prevention and Treatment Services), com m unity mental health groups, hospitals, LHINs, school boards. They all have a role to p la y " The report gave Regina the highest Crime Severity Index in the country followed by Saskatoon. AIRE ONE MADNESS SALE! H IG H E F F IC IE N C Y F U R N A C E & FROM C E N T R A L A IR PACKAGE INCLUDES: > 95.5 % High Efficiency Gas Furnace · High Efficiency Central Air R410A Refrigerant ·10 Year Factory Warranty * Call for details > Limited Time Offer CENTRAL AIR OR FURNACE DIAGNOSTIC SPECIAL www. CENTAL AIR OR FURNACE CLEANING BOOK YOURS TODAY! AIRE Ecom 9 LOCATiONS TO S ER V E YOU BETTER HEATING & COOLING OAKViLLE (9 0 5 ) 8 4 9 -4 9 9 8 A S T E P BE YO N D IN C A R E DO YOU HAVE: Salima Kassam Reg. Chiropodist · Foot/Arch Pain? · Ingrown Toenails? · Diabetes? · Swollen Ankles? · Corns, Calluses? CALL FOR AN APPOINTMENT 905-632-1414 w w w .footandhealthclinic.com 728 Burloak Drive