Pubdate: Wed, 09 Aug 2000
Source: Richmond Review (CN BC)
Copyright: 2000 Richmond Public Library
Contact:  Unit 140 5671 No. 3 Road, Richmond, B.C.
Fax: (604) 606-8752
Website: http://www.rpl.richmond.bc.ca/community/RichmondReview/
Author: Chris Bryan, staff reporter

TASK FORCE TARGETS DRUG PROBLEM

Richmond doesn't want to add to the problems in the Downtown Eastside, and
it doesn't want the same problems here.

It's those two goals that are part of the drive behind the Task Force on
Drugs and Crime, according to Mayor Greg Halsey-Brandt.

"I think we have a responsibility to help our citizens so they don't end up
down there," Halsey-Brandt told The Review.

Created this spring, the task force is comprised of police, health
services, school board and chamber of commerce representatives, as well as
various community groups, such as Richmond Health Services, RADAT and the
Richmond Asia-Pacific Business Association.

The group is meeting once a month and looking at areas of education,
treatment, harm-reduction, enforcement and intra-agency cooperation. The
goal is to bring forth a set of recommendations for council consideration.

As Richmond continues to grow, residents need to be proactive to prevent
chronic problems from developing, the mayor said.

"As we get bigger, these things happen. These areas (like the Downtown
Eastside) start to develop,"Halsey-Brandt said. "You can't just put your
head in the sand and pretend it doesn't happen in your community."

And because Richmond's doesn't have an area where the drug problems are
obvious to passers-by-such as the Downtown Eastside-it's more difficult to
put a finger on it.

"Here it's more scattered," the mayor said.

But the drug problem is evident when you look at the number of
break-and-enters which occur, often driven by an addict's need to finance
their habit.

Prevention, education and treatment are tools the city can use to reduce
crime in the longer term, Halsey-Brandt said.

"If there's some way we can tackle (the drug problem), maybe we can reduce
the crime end of it."

A needle exchange opened up at Richmond Hospital last month, but a key area
of concern is treatment, he said. Richmond has Turning Point, a recovery
home, but no residential treatment facilities.

"If someone's an addict, and they want help, you have to treat them within
24 hours. A six week waiting period is not realistic."

The task force will get a better idea of how Richmond fits into the bigger
picture when a Lower Mainland Municipal Association survey of drug
treatment and crime rates in the region is tabled this September.

The Richmond task force will be bringing their recommendations to council
in November.

Halsey-Brandt said he's optimistic about what the group can achieve.

"To have all these agencies and groups in one room has been fascinating in
terms of education. I can see a real willingness to work together."
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MAP posted-by: Eric Ernst