Pubdate: Thu, 27 Oct 2005 Source: Summerland Review (CN BC) Copyright: 2005 The Summerland Review Contact: http://www.summerlandreview.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1143 Author: John Arendt DRUG OFFICER NAMED RCMP officer will handle drug offenses and large files A Summerland RCMP officer has been appointed to deal with serious cases and youth issues, including drug use in the community. Cst. Terry Faulkner took the role as general investigations section officer for the community earlier this month. He says drug issues are an ongoing problem for the community. "Summerland is known as the place to smoke marijuana because there's a lot of it here," he says. He adds that crystal methamphetamine and cocaine are also available locally, but on a smaller scale. One of Faulkner's tasks is to watch for crystal methamphetamine labs in the community. "We haven't come across one yet, but I've been told there's undoubtedly one around here," he says. Marijuana grow operations are present in Summerland and at this time of year, many of these operations are going indoors. Cocaine, which is grown and processed primarily in Central and South America, is being sold locally, Faulkner says. Other drug use is less prevalent in Summerland. For example, LSD is not common here. Ecstasy, a popular drug among young people elsewhere, has not made significant inroads in the region. "I've seen hardly any of it here in the Okanagan," Faulkner says. The police detachment is also working on alcohol-related issues. Faulkner says the most serious problem is drinking and driving. Underage drinking is also a police concern. The police have addressed drug and alcohol issues in the past. Last fall, police worked to crack down on drug use in Memorial Park. Faulkner says this initiative reduced the amount of drug activity there, but he says there are still hotspots of drug use throughout the community. The detachment has also worked with Summerland Secondary School to address drug issues. He urges people to contact the police or CrimeStoppers with tips about drug activity and says each tip will be investigated. Faulkner has spent nine years as an RCMP officer, the last two in Summerland. Earlier, he spent two years with the Burnaby robbery and serious crimes sections. - --- MAP posted-by: Larry Seguin