Pubdate: Wed, 27 Jun 2007 Source: Gleaner, The (CN QU) Copyright: 2007 Huntingdon Gleaner Ltd. Contact: http://www.hebdos.net/tgh/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/4535 Author: Patrice Laflamme, Translated by Sarah Rennie Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mjcn.htm (Cannabis - Canada) POLICE OFFICER RECOGNIZED FOR HIS WORK IN THE FIGHT AGAINST DRUGS A young police officer of the Haut-Saint-Laurent detachment of the Surete du Quebec has been recognized for two years of dedicated service as the coordinator of the Programme Cisaille, which targets marijuana production and trafficking each summer in the area. Officer Patrick Leclerc received an award of recognition in the category of "personal engagement" from Christian Chalin, the commander-in-chief of the Monteregie district, in the presence of several of his colleagues and regional leaders of the police force. The ceremony was held on Wednesday, May 16 at the Plaza Hotel in Salaberry-de-Valleyfield. "I am accepting this award not only for myself," said Leclerc, a native of Saint-Hyacinthe. "I want to share it with my colleagues who work extremely hard to carry out this vast police operation year after year. It is really a team effort," he said, tipping his hat to the officers who join him each summer in an effort to eliminate the expansion of the production and trafficking of marijuana. Leclerc also paid tribute to his colleagues in Beauharnois-Salaberry, and those with the RCMP, who take part in one way or another in each one of the Programme Cisaille operations. As an officer with the SQ for seven years, the 27 year-old has been coordinating the annual plan to fight the expansion of the marijuana trade in the MRC since 2005. "For a long time I had wanted to take on a role like that in Saint-Hyacinthe. The fight against narcotics was something I held close to my heart as a young officer," said Leclerc enthusiastically. Programme Cisaille's main strategy involves destabilizing the criminal organizations that direct the production and distribution of marijuana in the region, which requires that each operation with the Programme is meticulously organized and uses the best tools and manpower available. Each requires a team of police officers that are ready for everything and trained in the use of high tech equipment to scan the ground from the air and vehicles that can move through various terrains and navigate less than accessible locations. Air and ground surveillance of any suspected site and aerial photographs are necessary to evaluate all possible plans of action and to determine the number of agents required for each operation. As the years pass, police forces have had to become more vigilant in order to seize the greatest quantity of drugs possible. According to Leclerc, the methods used by traffickers are becoming more sophisticated and the territory is difficult to investigate because it is so vast. However, after each intervention, the police officers are able to take pride in knowing that they have accomplished their duty. "Nobody among us is apprehensive or afraid of possible retaliation. If we are well prepared to do our work, there is nothing to worry about," suggests Leclerc. If the operations by the Programme Cisaille are successful in the area, it is in part because of the citizens who tip the police to areas where there may be a concentration of marijuana seedlings. "It is necessary to work according to the data that is provided to us by people. We would not be able to work without the invaluable information that they give us. They are anonymous, but are of invaluable help to us. It is extremely important that people continue to inform the police," says Leclerc. Agricultural producers and the different groups who represent them are beginning to show more interest in working with the police to track the patches of marijuana seedlings planted in their fields. "There is good collaboration between the farmers and the police officers. We discussed this with the UPA just before Christmas and it is certain that producers are afraid for their goods," says Leclerc, noting that, "if an individual is stopped, our sources will not be revealed in court. All is treated confidentially", he explains. It goes without saying that to receive such an award will only spur Mr. Leclerc and his colleagues to continue their fight to the finish against the marijuana plantations in agricultural fields and wooded areas in the region. "It is what motivates me to work harder", he says. - --- MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman