Pubdate: Sat, 05 Sep 2015
Source: Guelph Mercury (CN ON)
Copyright: 2015 Metroland Media Group Ltd.
Contact:  http://www.guelphmercury.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1418
Author: May Warren
Page: A1

BAIL COURT WILL GET ADDICTIONS WORKER

Province Provides Funding for Pilot Program Aimed at Getting 
Offenders to Give Up Using Crystal Meth

GUELPH - Guelph police and community groups are placing an addictions 
worker in bail court to help people who are accused of committing 
crimes related to crystal meth. It's an attempt to tackle rising use 
of the dangerous drug in the city.

The pilot scheme is supported by a $100,000 grant from a provincial 
program that takes proceeds from crime and channels them back into 
local initiatives.

The grant will also support education and training of front-line 
workers who deal with people addicted to meth on a daily basis.

It will also involve the business community through "meth watch," 
which alerts suppliers of products used to make the drug of 
suspicious purchases, such as large quantities of lithium batteries.

Guelph police Chief Jeff DeRuyter said the program is a reaction to 
the growing use of meth in the city.

"Over the last year our members have noted increase in the sale and 
use in Guelph and have seen an increase in violence in drug 
subculture," he said.

Crystal meth is the smokeable form of the drug methamphetamine. It's 
a stimulant that gives a very fast and long-lasting high and it is 
highly addictive.

It can cause people to become paranoid and very aggressive. Police 
have also linked meth use to crimes such as robberies. "We also see 
addictions and more recent community challenges emerging in 
trafficking and sexual exploitation of women in our city," DeRuyter added.

Last winter police laid 30 charges in a meth crackdown dubbed Project 
Ice. But police cannot arrest their way out of the problem, DeRuyter said.

"We do need to work together on so many of these issues with our key 
partners," he said.

Guelph MPP and Minister of Education Liz Sandals, who was on hand at 
Guelph police headquarters to officially announce the grant, said it 
will focus on prevention.

"As we think more and more about crime prevention, we understand that 
the root of crime prevention is the policing plus community 
interventions," she said.

"We already know proactively preventing crime is more effective and 
more often creates positive lasting change then reactively relying on 
enforcement and punishment."

Adrienne Crowder, manager of the Wellington Guelph Drug Strategy, a 
coalition of 30 community partners and police, said agencies had been 
hearing from outreach workers about the different behaviours the 
drugwas bringing into the community.

"It was clear that we needed to do something about that," she said.

Crowder said the placing such workers in bail court is something that 
has been done in Perth and Grey-Bruce, two communities that have also 
had challenges with crystal meth.

"There's a history of having mental health workers but to have 
someone to have addiction focus hasn't been done, so we're piloting 
it," she said. "At the very time when people are coming into the 
legal process that's holding them accountable for some challenges 
they might be having, we're also offering support, we're inviting 
them into a social service network," she said.

Crowder said if a grant extension is provided, the pilot will 
continue until June 2016.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom