Halton Region is a very safe place to be, according to Maclean's magazine.

In its rankings of the country's most dangerous cities, Maclean's rated Halton as Canada's fourth safest place to live and the safest in the Greater Toronto Area.

Halton's police chief said the ranking underlines the exceptional policing and crime prevention work done by staff.

"I am especially proud of this result, considering Halton has one of the lowest police officer-to-population ratios in Ontario, with only one uniformed police officer for every 811 members of the public," said Gary Crowell.

He cited the service's community policing partnerships, youth programs and close working relationships with cultural, ethnic and faith-based groups, as factors in the high ranking. The police service also participates in numerous diversity programs, including some in partnership with the Halton Multicultural Council.

Police service staff receive help from more than 200 community volunteers who participate in auxiliary policing, community consultation committees, Communities on Patrol (COPP) and Seniors And Law Enforcement Together.

"Police cannot work in isolation," said Crowell. "In Halton, we benefit from having very active community members, who are interested in working closely with us to keep Halton as safe tomorrow as it is today."

Maclean's rankings were based on 2006 per capita crime rates for murder, sexual assault, aggravated assault, robbery, break and enters, and auto theft from the Canadian Centre for Justice Studies.