Pubdate: Fri, 03 Feb 2006
Source: Red River Valley Echo, The (CN MB)
Copyright: 2006 Altona Red River Valley Echo
Contact:  http://www.altonaecho.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/4006
Author: Sarah Morgan
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?241 (Methamphetamine - Canada)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?216 (CN Police)

POLICE SAY "GET HEADS OUT OF SAND"

The Altona and District Chamber of Commerce members had the chance to 
listen to Altona Police Sergeant Perry Batchelor talk about crystal 
meth, it's effects, and how prevalent it is in the community of Altona.

Raising awareness about the drug is a passion for Batchelor who 
shared stories of how Altona Police have witnessed the violent 
physical and mental effects of the drug.

The recent seminars aren't intended to warn people that they should 
be on the look out for the drug, it's already here.

Altona Police have been seeing tell tale signs of crystal meth use in 
the community since 1999.

Batchelor said recent crime sprees in the Altona area are a result of 
needing to feed a crystal meth habit.

"If we have our heads in the sand and we don't think it's here it's 
time to dig them out," he said. "All of those thefts were to feed a 
meth addiction."

Batchelor has witnessed first hand what happens to people mentally 
and physically after becoming addicted to meth. "We have had 
attempted residential break and enters with the people still inside 
their homes," he said. "We have had a call for service involving two 
males with one male in possession of a knife threatening the other male."

Batchelor said the male with the knife was taken into custody and was 
under the influence of meth.

Police have even had a suspected lab in Gretna and searched an Altona 
home where they found a binder with recipes for meth, hash and hash 
oil as well as documents intended for teaching individuals how to 
"deal with" police.

"Meth is not hard to educate yourself on," he said. "Just type in 
meth in any search engine and you will have a wide array of websites 
pop up." The sites can educate concerned parents on signs and 
symptoms or teach inquiring minds how to cook the drug. "That's the 
thing about the internet, it's the information highway," Batchelor 
said. "For everything that's good about it there's a thousand things 
that are negative."

Batchelor said it was important for the business community to educate 
themselves on the signs and symptoms so they know what they're dealing with.

People high on meth are very impulsive and very goal oriented, always 
looking for the next high even if that means robbing the next 
convenience store or stealing from friends and family.

"When somebody is high on meth it's not something that they can go 
and do at 8 p.m. and be sober by the next morning when they're going 
to do their grocery shopping," he said.

Meth users have been known to stay awake for as many as eight days 
with very little or no food, only to crash and sleep for three or 
four days at a time.

Addicts suffer extreme paranoia, have poor hygiene, nausea and suffer 
from "crank bugs" or "crystal mites", their teeth rot and fall out 
and they loose blood circulation to their extremities. "As it's been 
described to me, users feel as though bugs are crawling under their 
skin," he said. "They'll constantly be scratching until their skin is 
raw. They become fixated on that area." Batchelor said statistics 
show that 75 per cent of first time users and 90 per cent of second 
time users become addicted. If someone goes back a third time it's 
almost impossible to turn back.

Batchelor said penalties for dealing or cooking the drug aren't 
serious enough and often include house arrest or maybe three months in jail.

A person could steal a roll of toilet paper from a home and if a 
judge wanted to they could sentence the toilet paper thief to life in 
prison. "We're going to have to get a lot more serious about our war 
on drugs," he said. "Meth knows no socio-economic boundaries. It has 
no age, race or professional preference."

Batchelor said Altona Police are not just here to crimp crime but 
also to help in times of need. "If you have concerns about a loved 
one or someone you know that may be affected by meth or other drugs 
you can certainly phone the police," he said.

Contact the Altona Police at 324-5373 for more information.
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