Pubdate: Thu, 10 Jul 2008 Source: Goldstream Gazette (Victoria, CN BC) Copyright: 2008 Goldstream News Gazette Contact: http://www.goldstreamgazette.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1291 EDUCATION LINKED TO DROP IN CRIME: RCMP West Shore RCMP statistics show street crime has dropped over the past year-and-a-half but marijuana trafficking and grow operations are on the rise. Const. Tasha Adams said the RCMP has specifically targeted grow-ops and trafficking in 2006 and 2007, leading to more charges and higher numbers. Street crime and other drug offenses are down due to a number of projects police have set up and implemented in the community, she said. Two projects throughout 2007-08 were set up to target drug trafficking, property offenders, and prolific repeat offenders, said Staff Sgt. Michael Legassicke. "Through sharing information with other police units, intelligence, and surveillance, we were able to identify a prolific graffiti offender who had more than 100 offences," Legassicke said. They've also worked on First Nations land to remove prolific offenders within the communities and solved armed robberies with these projects. "What we know is that property crime and drugs go hand in hand," Legassicke said. "If we target the prolific offenders involved with property crime that will effect trafficking and use of drugs." Education is important, and there are several strategies being used. Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) has been set up to teach grade five and six students the dangers of drugs, alcohol and tobacco. An officer goes into the classroom and teaches 10 one-hour sessions on a range of topics including empowerment, resisting drugs and violence, saying no to drugs, and resisting peer pressure. This year two officers underwent special training to lead this program and taught it at Happy Valley, Ruth King, Savory and David Cameron elementary schools. Police also gave crystal meth presentations to Belmont grade 10 and 11 students. Legassicke said that as the trends in drug use change, so do the focus of the programs to target drugs. Crack cocaine and marijuana are always problematic and police are seeing more use of ecstasy in high school kids. "(Crystal meth) was bigger a few years ago when it first became a problem in Victoria," Legassicke said. "It's become a less apparent problem in the West Shore in the last year." During Police Week in May a display at West Shore Town Centre provided interactive booths on impaired driving where people could put on drunk goggles to simulate an impaired person. Large plasticized posters with bodies on them showed how certain drugs like marijuana, crystal meth, cocaine and others affected the brain. Other units working in the West Shore are the Regional Crime Unit and the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit. The Regional Crime Unit works on crime reduction by identifying prolific offenders and property crime that are affecting all regions. They work together with other jurisdictions to conduct search warrants, and share information to target offenders. The Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit is a provincial integrated unit, set up to deal with higher level crime like mid-to upper-level drug dealers and offenders crossing provincial borders. While street crime is down in the West Shore, Legassicke says crimes of opportunity are a constant problem. Theft, vehicle theft and other petty crimes are examples of a crime of opportunity where something is left in open view creating an easy target for thieves. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom