Thursday, October 17, 2013

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Willpower goes up in smoke Smokers are well aware of their bad habit, so why do they do it? >> pg. 5

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CANADA’S ONLY DAILY STUDENT NEWSPAPER • FOUNDED 1906

VOLUME 107, ISSUE 24

London police release Project LEARN stats Stephanie Grella CONTRIBUTOR The London Police Service has released new statistics on the muchdebated Project LEARN. Numbers from a LPS media release compares the amount of criminal charges in 2012 and 2013 during Project LEARN, showing an increase in overall charges, and an increase in criminal charges against students. This year, 19.5 per cent of criminal charges were against students, an increase from 11.5 per cent in 2012. Ken Steeves, media relations officer for the London police, credited the enforcement’s extension in hours during the five weeks as a contributing factor for the increase in student charges. “It’s expensive having to deploy so many officers in those five weeks, but we do this because of the actions displayed,” Steeves said, adding that officers found 3,000 to 5,000 students wandering on one particular street close to Western campus the day of Homecoming. “We target liquor enforcement violators because we know things stem from alcohol consumption.

They call alcohol ‘liquid courage’ for a reason.” From August 27 to September 28, the London Police Service facilitated the Liquor Enforcement and Reduction of Noise program, patrolling streets for liquor offences and excessive noise. Conducting Project LEARN for eight consecutive years, the Police’s stated goal has been to ensure lawful enjoyment for community members during students’ first month back in London, focusing on areas surrounding Western, Fanshawe College and the downtown core. “The general public is very happy with the enforcement taken place by Project LEARN this year,” Steeves said. “We’re not about prohibiting fun — the message we are always delivering is to be responsible and respectful of others.” Western’s University Students’ Council has voiced their displeasure with the city’s initiative before, hoping for a less severe approach to keeping students and their London neighbours safe and happy. USC president Pat Whelan has advocated for a softer way of building a foundational relationship without the need of police enforcement.

“We think that a priority for students is to be recognized as members of the community and as neighbours themselves,” Whelan told The Gazette in September. “Building communities from the neighbourhoods up and really solidifying those relationships is a great approach to solving the same problem without enforcement.” While officers seek to patrol all London streets for the five-week period, Steeves said their focus on student neighbourhoods is an integral part of their initiative. “We’ve been asked why we target students, but we don’t,” said Steeves. “It just so happens that these large gatherings are in areas that are heavily populated by students. If they were in a completely different area, we would be doing the same thing.” With no reported injuries or major incidents during this fiveweek period, Steeves was confident that this initiative will continue to benefit the London community. “We can’t speculate on what’s going to happen in the future,” Steeves said. “But we would love to have a year without the need for Project LEARN — that’s our goal.” —With files from Richard Raycraft

Naira Ahmed GAZETTE

Vehicle ignites off Huron and Richmond Jeremiah Rodriguez NEWS EDITOR

Courtesy of James Allen

On Tuesday afternoon at around 2 p.m., a billowing pillar of smoke could be seen a block away from the gates of Western. Fire trucks were blaring as they bolted their way towards campus. Firefighters and London police arrived to a small crowd that had gathered around a car that had gone ablaze. Off the corner of Huron and Richmond streets, a car had caught fire and was fully engulfed by the time fire services arrived. The driver had pulled the car over after realizing that something was very wrong with the vehicle. According to eyewitnesses reports confirmed by deputy fire chief Brian George, something was faulty with the sedan’s engine as it caught fire first. An eyewitness, Celyn Brown, said that the driver had attempted to look inside the hood but diagnostic attempts were cut short. The exact cause of what ignited the fire was unknown by the fire department. Analysis would be difficult after all was said and done, as

there was little more than a smoldering metal frame left of the vehicle. “There were a lot of pops and things would come flying out of the car. The flames really went up quickly,” Brown said, adding that as the flames went higher the smoke partially blotted out the sky. “I wasn’t sure what happened — someone said they’d already called 911.” Western student James Allen was on his way home when he noticed the smoke. He quickly made his way to the scene. “I was biking home and from the Richmond gates and you could see the plume of smoke. It was coming from my street,” he said. “When I got there the car was completely aflame. Within a minute of me arriving, I heard the sirens.” Though the identity of the driver is currently unknown, there was no mistaking the Western sweater. By the time the crowd had gathered and people stood helplessly as firefighters doused the car, strangers had already started consoling the driver who was understandably distraught. Others, like Allen, caught the fire on video using mobile phones. “I filmed as closely as I could.

Part of the video showed that there were sparks and [the car] had been exploding for a while.” One of the most frightening realizations from the whole ordeal was how a call to the fire department over cases like this are not as rare as one would think. “It’s actually pretty common, you’d be surprised,” deputy chief George explained. When asked for actual statistics on the frequency of vehicle fires, the facts couldn’t be released on account of protecting victims’ identities. The separation of personal data from the number of cases was not available as of Wednesday. “It could have been a number of things, a faulty part, a spark that came up at the wrong time. We just don’t know, we just put out the fire, insurance or mechanics would have a better idea as to what happened,” George admitted. There is no indication that there was any foul play. “She didn’t crash. It was all just out of her control,” said Allen, who was thankful everyone was okay.


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