Pubdate: Tue, 16 Sep 2008 Source: Telegraph-Journal (Saint John, CN NK) Copyright: 2008 Brunswick News Inc. Contact: http://telegraphjournal.canadaeast.com/onsite.php?page=contact Website: http://telegraphjournal.canadaeast.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2878 Author: Mary-Ellen Saunders Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/dare.htm (D.A.R.E.) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/youth.htm (Youth) CAMPOBELLO RESIDENTS VOW TO FIGHT DRUGS CAMPOBELLO - The days of turning a blind eye to drug use on Campobello are over. That was the main message coming from a Saturday meeting where residents rallied together to fight the problem. A group of Campobello residents has been carrying out a health needs assessment, initiated by the regional healthy authority, to identify the unique problems islanders face and possible solutions. Gerry Hicks, chairman of the Campobello Island Health and Wellness Committee, said after conducting interviews and examining survey results, the committee concluded that drug abuse and addictions were the most common recurring problems in the community. On Saturday, experts from health and law enforcement agencies across the province came to the island to offer their expertise and provide information about the unique challenges faced by the 1,000 or so residents of Campobello who must travel through the United States to get to the rest of New Brunswick most of the year. Cpl. Jonathan Nagy travelled to the island Saturday with good news. Nagy said the island, which is policed by a single RCMP member, will be receiving a second officer on the island. Nagy, who has lived on Campobello in the past, said policing the island alone is a challenging task. The officer must be on call a lot to offer 24-hour coverage, there is no backup and in dangerous situations additional help would have to come from St. Stephen or the U.S., residents involved in crime always know where the officer is and when he/she is off the island and the community is so closely integrated that citizens do not always feel comfortable going to officers with information. Nagy said the criminal activity police face on the island is no different from the crimes seen in small towns and villages across Charlotte County. He said narcotic use and alcohol abuse are prominent on the island and lead to spinoff crimes such as thefts, damage to property, break and enters, home invasions, impaired driving and spousal abuse. Const. John Beck, an RCMP officer with the customs and excise branch, said while the border is another level of enforcement on the island, the waterways are a hard area to police. "Fishermen know the water from here to Lubec, Maine, like the back of their hand and they can go out in the middle of the night as easy as I go to the convenience store and bring back illegal goods," said Beck. Beck said prescription drugs are making their way from Saint John to Campobello and from Campobello to Maine. He said illegal firearms are coming into Campobello and ending up in Saint John. Beck said enforcement is only as good as the people who provide information and though it is a close-knit community, people can come forward without giving their identity. Beck said residents can call Crime Stoppers or a confidential person with the RCMP to provide information. Grade 12 student Emma Fowler-Ross said she knows of middle school children who are getting into drugs because of the example set for them by their parents. She said the school is so small that students face an increased amount of pressure from their peers to be followers. Fowler-Ross said if the school set up more programs and information, such as the DARE program, students would be better educated at a young age about drugs and would therefore make better decisions. Fowler-Ross said if students knew the impacts of drugs they could carry that on to their parents and their community. She said she thinks the lack of activities for youth on the island is a contributing factor to drug use. Fowler-Ross said students have no one to talk to and nowhere to go. Without a guidance counsellor in the school, she said students have to go to a random teacher to discuss their problems. "I think a lot of students have a lot of issues with talking to regular teachers because they are part of the island too," said Fowler-Ross. "They are not just part of the school, they go out and talk about what happens in school. I think if they had a guidance counsellor from St. Stephen three times a week that would benefit them a lot." The residents and professionals did not leave the Saturday meeting without coming up with a list of things the community could do to help curb drug use. The group decided to encourage people to call Crime Stoppers and monitor the number of calls in the next six months to see if it has improved. A number of people signed up to be part of a committee to provide a place for children to go, organize activities during the week and weekends, and start a mentoring program. Residents committed to start a petition to get Aliant to provide better Internet and cellphone service that would increase the availability of tele-medicine. A few individuals took the initiative to start a support group for family members and loved ones of drug addicts. A social marketing campaign is in the works to make people more comfortable talking about mental health. Those in attendance said they were also committed to start a community watch program and a community newsletter. Community members are invited to attend a meeting on Thursday that will discuss the initiatives and results of the drug session as well as the topics of governance, community and housing. The meeting will begin at 7 p.m. at the Campobello Island Consolidated School. - --- MAP posted-by: Steve Heath