Hounding the Dealers that Dog Our City

(Aired on May 31, 2010)

When RCMP Inspector Yves Lacasse made a comment a few months back that a particular North Shore property was going to become his "personal project" in an attempt to clean up the neighbourhood, there were many people extremely happy that the police were making a crackdown on a property that was the scene of many problems relating to drug and alcohol abuse and trafficking. I don't know where Yves' mission stands right now, but I hope it's ongoing. In fact, I would recommend that other officers take on "personal projects" of their own.

Residents of another North Shore neighbourhood are up in arms about the high number of drug complaints in an area around Hilltop Avenue and Clapperton. Residents say police are always on the scene there, trying to deal with a number of complaints. And maybe this is another area that should be looked at. Maybe we should be hounding these drug dealers until they eventually get the message, if that indeed is possible. But at least hounding them incessantly will curb some of the use of drugs in those neighbourhood.

Unfortunately, it's not only the high crime areas that need attention. Even areas of the city which have low crime rates have pockets where police are constantly surveilling homes to find out who is dealing and who the customers are. It's a sad part of the increasingly prolific volume of trafficking that goes on. Years ago, police knew all the dealers and most of the customers, but the numbers are growing by leaps and bounds, as more and more people get involved in the gangs that control the drug trade, and those who get addicted. Police resources are slim, and unfortunately, taking on areas as "personal projects" are not going to be the norm.

While police can work at ridding certain neighbourhoods of some of the problem, it won't be entirely eliminated. As people are put behind bars, more people start to get involved. It's a vicious circle. Police are doing their best, but it's a never-ending task, and one that, unfortunately, is going to be tough to eliminate.