Pubdate: Wed, 25 Aug 2010 Source: Cowichan Valley Citizen (CN BC) Copyright: 2010 Cowichan Valley Citizen Contact: http://www.canada.com/cowichanvalleycitizen/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/4349 Author: Lexi Bainas DRUG CRIME STAT INCREASE GOOD NEWS: INSPECTOR Charges: Cops Getting The Criminals Off The Streets Drug-related crime appears to be on the increase in North Cowichan but statistics don't always tell the whole story, RCMP Insp. Kevin Hewco told North Cowichan Municipal Council during his second quarter report Aug. 18. "We want to focus on areas where we hope we can have a measurable outcome. Crime reduction is one. Once we focus on the individuals involved and apprehend them, it makes a big difference. A spike in drug possession charges or even a decline in them can result from pro-active enforcement, he said. For example, if we stop a car on the highway for speeding and the driver's got dope on him or he's smoking dope in the car, we get a double stat there. "Or we bring someone we've arrested for being intoxicated in a park and also find drugs in their pocket when we book them in. That's what adjusts those statistics," he said. The situation with actual dealers always seems to be in flux. "There's always a bit of a turf war amongst them and it's again a question of focusing resources. The next quarterly report in the fall will be interesting because we'll have a closer look at whether our summer policing initiative paid off," he said. Often a lot of charges mean that police are applying themselves effectively. "That's where our members are actually finding the extra time to actually do that. Some of the charges may stem from dispatch calls but most drug calls are based on information received. We don't always get to work on them. I'm happy to see a slight increase in that area. It shows we are having a little more time for these initiatives that we're expected to be doing," Hewco said. - --- MAP posted-by: Jo-D