Pubdate: Mon, 08 Jul 2013 Source: Alberni Valley Times (CN BC) Copyright: 2013 Alberni Valley Times Contact: http://www.canada.com/vancouverisland/albernivalleytimes/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/4043 Author: Siobhan Burns RESIDENT CAUTIOUS WITH DRUG USE ON THE RISE With times changing and the use of harsh drugs in the city increasing, Sam is more cautious of her surroundings and takes extra precaution when walking around her neighbourhood. The middle-aged woman has lived in the upper Second Avenue area of Port Alberni for 40 years now. She has never questioned her safety, but she is definitely more cautious than ever before. Sam said the South Port region of the city is definitely higher in crime than other areas, but the crimes are lower key. In her years spent living on that side of town, Sam said the biggest issue she has had is theft or property damage, but it hasn't been too bad for her. She also recalls one time when someone broke into her home. "In the old days, people used to drink and it was no big deal. I'd come home from work and people would be sleeping on my lawn. I'd throw a blanket on them and they'd be gone in the morning," she said. With the use of harsher drugs increasing in the city, Sam said she decided to lock those people out by installing a high fence around her home. "Am I afraid for my life? No. Otherwise I'd be moving," she said. When Sam walks to work, she is now more cautious than ever before and she often walks in the middle of the road so she can see what's coming. She prefers the well-lit areas and would never consider walking through an alley to save time. "I've found a fair amount of needles in the alleys around here," Sam said. Port Alberni RCMP Insp. Mac Richards said Port Alberni doesn't really have a bad neighbourhood. According to statistics, he says the crime is evenly distributed throughout the Alberni Valley and no particular area appears to be worse. "It's fairly well dispersed throughout the community," Richards said. "There's a definite area of concentration and there's some different demographics in that area." While many people in the Valley believe drug use is the common crime in our community, they are misinformed, statistically speaking. According to statistics, theft is at the top of the list with the local RCMP responding to 1,124 incidents in 2012. Following closely behind was provincial traffic at 1,042 and assault at 622 reports for the year. Last year alone, the Port Alberni RCMP responded to a whopping 11,790 calls for service. The Port Alberni RCMP detachment is manned by 44 officers, 33 of whom are contracted by the City of Port Alberni. That contract will cost the city $6,233,627 in 2013. The amount is scheduled to grow to almost $7 million by 2017. The remaining 11 officers are funded by the provincial government and includes four officers in the aboriginal policing section. "Our staffing levels are pretty consistent over the last few years," Richards said. To do their jobs successfully, Richards said the detachment relies heavily on the public. He said Port Alberni residents are good about sharing information and helping out as much as they can to address the criminal activity in the Valley. "People take pride in this community and helping. In that sense, we're really lucky," Richards said. "If people aren't reporting crime to us, we can't respond to things we're not aware of." One area Richards would like to see more improvements is drugs, but on a larger scale. "We'd like to have a greater impact on that next level - the dealers, not so much the users," he said. This year, in March, officers responded to 32 drug-related reports. In 2012, the total was 329. While the crime statistics haven't changed much in the last five years, 2008 definitely saw an increase in almost all categories. At the top of that list, again, was thefts at 1,508. Richards said the Valley typically deals with one homicide per year and he noted that there are several mental health issues. With summer officially underway, Richards said their workload will continue to increase. "We know that May to September is our busiest time. We expect our numbers to climb." For Sam, she will continue to be cautious in her neighbourhood. She believes that's the key to not being a target. "You've got to respect the change. It isn't for the better, but as long as you accept it, it's not that bad." - --- MAP posted-by: Matt