Pubdate: Tue, 04 Dec 2007 Source: Kamloops Daily News (CN BC) Copyright: 2007 Kamloops Daily News Contact: http://www.kamloopsnews.ca/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/679 Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/opinion.htm (Opinion) DRUG DEALERS FIND NO COMFORT St. Paul Street businesses have to be impressed with Kamloops RCMP. They demanded police action Friday and by Monday, they had it. Businesses between the 100 and 500 block of St. Paul were upset about a crime wave of drug dealing in their area. They contacted the media Friday to say the problem was getting out of control. It turns out, however, police were four weeks ahead of them. Undercover officers had been on downtown streets identifying drug dealers as part of a sting called Project E-Proctor. At a press conference Monday morning, RCMP Insp. Yves Lacasse announced that when the roundup of suspects is complete, 32 people will be charged for drug-related offences. The operation doesn't mean an end to the drug problem in Kamloops, but it demonstrates proactive policing. The RCMP began an ongoing campaign several months ago to make life uncomfortable for criminals in town. A primary focus is drugs. They've shutdown crackhouses in the city. They've disrupted several favourite locations for drug dealers to sell their wares and they've made it difficult for prostitutes and johns to meet without fear of prosecution. For too long, police seemed to turn a blind eye to complaints from neighbours about the drug and sex-trade industry. So long as the problem was isolated to one area, which primarily was North Kamloops, only the most obvious offenders were arrested. Neighbourhoods were unhappy they were not seeing evidence of intensive RCMP patrols. That perception changed with the arrival of Supt. Jim Begley and Insp. Lacasse, who realized residents couldn't just be safe, but also had to feel safe. They introduced visible policing, which provides the community with a sense of security. Lacasse makes bold public statements about cleaning up crime and then he follows through with productive stings. "What this is going to do is hopefully clean up these areas and restore a healthy lifestyle for these neighbourhoods for a period of time," he told reporters last July. When he announced the latest round of drug busts Monday, he re-emphasized a continued focus on public safety downtown and the North Shore. While he is well aware criminal activity will continue somewhere else, he isn't shy about saying resources will be found to stay on top of it. The detachment's commanders recently moved to introduce foot patrols full-time in the city, a decision that taxpayers have indicated they support. They've also assigned one officer full-time to keeping organized crime from becoming a major force in the city. All of this helps people feel empowered in their own city. Proactive and visible policing keeps criminals nervous and the community secure in the belief that the RCMP are actively pursuing criminals, not complaining they can't do it due to a lack of resources. - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake