County considers crime council
Wellington County might soon embark on another crime prevention tool.
Police Services Board chairman Lynda White told council April 29 the board is considering asking County OPP Inspector Scott Smith to look into the possibility of forming a crime prevention council for the county.
There is one in the Region of Waterloo, White told council. In 1993, area MP Andrew Telegdi asked regional council to invest in crime prevention at the local level, and it agreed.
Telegdi’s idea was inspired by the release of Crime Prevention in Canada: Toward a National Strategy by Dr. Bob Horner (1993) also known as the Horner Report.
The following year, retired regional Police Chief Larry Gravill was assigned the task of establishing a committee that would involve citizens and local partners. The Region of Waterloo provided seed funding for a crime prevention office and a program coordinator.
In 1995, various community sectors formed the partnership now known as the Waterloo Region Crime Prevention Council).
White told county council that a crime prevention council would be “invaluable.”
She said officials will now “look into the viability of one for Wellington County.”
