Pubdate: Wed, 26 Jul 2017 Source: Medicine Hat News (CN AB) Copyright: 2017 Alberta Newspaper Group, Inc. Contact: http://www.medicinehatnews.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1833 Author: Peggy Revell Page: A3 OPIATES, METH POSE BIG PROBLEM FOR POLICE A "huge spike" in opiate and methamphetamine seizures this past year poses a deadly and multifaceted problem for local law enforcement, says a police inspector. "We are hugely concerned with meth," said Insp. Brent Secondiak, speaking about the 2016 annual police report released last week. In 2016, police seized 52.5 grams of heroin and 1,474 grams of meth, a 563 per cent and 300 per cent increase from 2015 respectively. While fentanyl has made headlines across Canada for its deadliness, Secondiak said it hasn't been a problem in Medicine Hat compared to other drugs. "We have one big trafficker in jail who was responsible for one large seizure in 2014," he said. In 2014, 806 pills were seized, 615 in 2015 and 30 in 2016. Cocaine seizures remain relatively constant - with 2,811 grams seized in 2014, 2,525 in 2015, and 2,674 in 2016. Many people police dealt with when crack cocaine was the "drug of choice" are now using meth, said Secondiak. "It's very concerning that the drug of choice has switched to these two drugs, specifically meth because of the dangers surrounding it." Part of meth's appeal is a longer high, running anywhere from half a day to a couple of days, he said. But those high on the drug tend to be more incoherent, act more irrationally, and more violently. So it falls on police to take people into custody when a call comes in, he explained, as they can't risk leaving the person on the street, or taking them to the hospital or recovery centre. "We don't want them in our cells, but there's nowhere else to put them." It's also created a nuisance, as those high and in custody have done things like smear feces over the cells, or wreck the sprinklers and cause flooding. EMS responders have to frequently be called to the remand centre to treat people. Naloxone spray - which can reverse the effects of an overdose - was originally given to officers for their own safety, but has since been used by officers over a dozen times to save the lives of members of the public. A range of strategies are being used to address the issue of drugs in the community. "Our ALERT team is targeting many of the high level traffickers for opiates and methamphetamine," said Secondiak. They've also realized they can't just focus on enforcement, he said, and have hosted education sessions for youth and the community. Police and AHS have since created a "Police and Crisis Team" for addressing calls to do with mental health, but Secondiak said PACT has moved towards addressing addictions as well. It's trying to identify people who have addictions, and making sure they have access to resources for treatment, he said. "People who are using these drugs, it's very difficult to stop this cycle. Sometimes incarcerating them is the only way to break the cycle," he said, adding that there's not much police can do if the person isn't willing to take that first step. "We can't force them into treatment." Many users are desperate for money, which means they turn to trafficking, said Secondiak, adding that while high-level traffickers do often have addiction issues, they're also "there to make a profit off it too." Hopefully, he said, the police can get treatment for the people who need treatment "and those who profit off of the misery of others, hopefully we can get them significant jailtime." - --- MAP posted-by: Matt