Mr. Speaker, last Thursday the Waterloo Region Community Safety and Crime Prevention Council released its report on making Waterloo region a safer and more secure community. The report is the result of 14 months of hard work by over 80 members of the task force who represent a cross-section of my community.
The report states that crime prevention is everyone's concern and challenges the community to imagine a community in which all members can be safe and feel safe. The report notes that while Waterloo region has a low relative crime rate, residents have an increased fear of crime.
The 50 recommendations of the report challenge the community to fight crime and be involved in crime prevention by dealing with the root causes of crime. The report notes that the offender of tomorrow is the vulnerable child of today, and that physically abused children are five times more likely to be violent adults.
I salute the council for its valuable work. It will help in maintaining Waterloo region as one of the safest and most secure communities in Canada.