Pubdate: Mon, 08 Sep 2008
Source: Clearwater Times (CN BC)
Copyright: 2008 Clearwater Times
Contact:  http://www.clearwatertimes.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1448
Author: Keith McNeill

TRAFFIC SERVICES FOCUS ON KEEPING HIGHWAYS SAFE

Clearwater RCMP detachment has a message for organized crime: You're
not welcome in this community.

Last year the local police found and seized a greater number of
marijuana grow operations and interdicted more cash and illicit drugs
than most other detachments in the province, RCMP Sgt. Stu Seib
reported to Clearwater town council Tuesday evening.

"We're just more aggressive," Seib told the councilors. "At any one
time, we'll be working on five to eight grow ops, collecting evidence
for search warrants."

Last year's take included 7,000 plants seized from two operations, one
near Avola and one near Little Fort, that were so big they required
the detachment to bring in extra personnel.

Any grow op with more than 200 plants indicates a likely organized
crime connection, he said. That volume of production requires a
sophisticated distribution network.

Seib attributes some of the success to the fact that the Clearwater
General Duty Section and the Clearwater Traffic Services Section have
combined forces in an effort to drive drugs and organized crime out of
our community. A second priority that both General Duty and Traffic
Services have focused on, in an effort to reduce carnage on our
highways, is that of targeting Drinking and Driving and Aggressive
Driving.

The strategy seems to work. Formerly there were an average of six
fatal motor vehicle crashes per year, said Seib. Last year there was
none and for the previous two years there was an average of two.

Members of the local detachment are reaching out to youth as a third
priority. Programs include DARE, which teaches younger children how to
stay away from drugs; Birthday Party, which helps Grade 9 students to
decide not to drink and drive; a school liaison program, which has
officers assigned to all local schools, and two youth groups.

All this means local police typically work 50 to 60 hours a week on
regular duties plus are on call for another 60 plus hours a week.

During the three-month period of April - June of this year the
detachment took down three indoor grow ops, seizing 872 plants. Police
also took in 5,685 grams of marijuana plus one gram of cocaine, made
14 liquor seizures, issued 18 24-hour suspensions and laid eight
impaired charges.

The detachment has five general duty officers assigned to it plus
three on highway patrol. Mike Savage, formerly the corporal in charge
of the highway unit, has been promoted to sergeant and transferred to
Kelowna. Chris Newel is now a corporal and is taking Savage's place.

Unfortunately, this leaves the detachment short one person until a
replacement can be found.

When asked by council, Seib said the detachment could use more than
the eight officers allotted to it. The area covered (from north of
Blue River to south of Little Fort, including all of Wells Gray Park)
is almost unique for its large size, he said. The sergeant noted that
it wouldn't be that unusual for there to be three or more automobile
wrecks north of Avola in a day, stretching the local police to the
limit. (On three occasions this past winter, police had to attend more
than 10 crashes in a single day in the area between Avola and Messiter
Summit).
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MAP posted-by: Steve Heath