Pubdate: Thu, 19 Feb 2009 Source: Chronicle Herald (CN NS) Copyright: 2009 The Halifax Herald Limited Contact: http://thechronicleherald.ca/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/180 Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?159 (Drug Courts) HALIFAX POLICE CHIEF PROPOSES DRUG COURT So many of Halifax's crimes are committed by drug addicts that a special court is needed to handle their cases, the city's police chief says. "When you see repeated robberies and repeated thefts from motor vehicles, they're feeding a habit," Chief Frank Beazley said in an interview at city hall this week. "So if you can get them the services that they need, if they can get away from the addiction, you'd reduce crime." The chief's endorsement of a Halifax drug court comes after a plan for public safety, stemming from the Mayor's Roundtable on Violence held in late 2007, was presented to regional council on Tuesday. Chief Beazley said that first and foremost among the plan's 64 recommendations are hiring a new public safety officer and creating a new 32-officer division in the coming weeks. But no new money will be spent staffing the unit as officers already working in crime prevention will be used. Other initiatives, like the drug court, could be rolled out in the near future, he said. The province is already planning for a mental health court to open on April 1. Staff are being hired and a courtroom in the Dartmouth Justice Centre is being retrofitted. The drug court would be a spinoff of that endeavour, Chief Beazley said. "What we've talked about in our committees is, 'Can it be more than just a mental health court?' " he said. But talks on funding still need to be held, he said, and the money should come from the federal government because drug crimes fall under the federal Controlled Drugs and Substances Act. Provincial Justice Minister Cecil Clarke told regional council he has already had discussions with his federal counterpart and will return to Ottawa at some point to further those talks and address other justice-related issues. "With the drug court, it really allows us to deal with those types of issues, the impacts, the types of conditions, the programs," Mr. Clarke said at city hall on Tuesday. "Otherwise, they get clustered into the overall system." The objective, Chief Beazley said, would be to run a "two-tiered" mental health and drug court system, along with regular court. He even envisions a domestic violence court in the foreseeable future. "But you have to take one at a time." Specialized courts already exist in Saint John, N.B., Ottawa and Toronto, he said. "If there is a mental health issue or a drug addiction issue - and with their consent and the court's consent - you can take them out of the mainstream court system and put them into these specialty courts," Chief Beazley said. The focus then becomes the person and his or her problems, he said. "So it's about getting them housing again, or addiction services. It's about working with them." But the chief said it's not the proverbial slap on the wrist. "You hold them accountable," he said. "They come back to the court weekly, or biweekly (every two weeks), and they have to tell the judge that they've attended counselling, met with their doctor or admit whether they've used drugs." Coun. Mary Wile (Clayton Park West), a member of the Mainland North Drug Awareness Committee, said Wednesday that treatment is key. "I think sometimes people should be directed to take a treatment program, because it sometimes is beyond their own will to do something like that," she said. But Ms. Wile is concerned that there wouldn't be enough drug treatment centres to handle the number of people needing them. "We'd need to ensure that the facilities are there so that people get the help they need," she said. Ms. Wile said the drug awareness committee tries to help people by preventing problems from starting. "Our goal is to get into the school systems to talk to the kids about smoking, alcohol and drugs," she said. "It's focusing on our youth, seeing if they will reconsider before they progress any further on drugs." - --- MAP posted-by: Larry Seguin