POLICE VOW TO STAMP OUT MUGGINGS

Hamilton Police Chief Ken Robertson says a growing crack cocaine problem in
the city's core has led to a surge in muggings and purse snatchings.
Robertson described the trend as "disturbing" and for the second time in
three years vowed to crack down on the violent street crimes through beefed
up police patrols and specialized task forces.

In February 1999, after a rash of what police believed to be crack-related
muggings, he told The Spectator he would not let this type of crime
flourish in Hamilton.

"There's a direct relationship between street violence and crack cocaine,
and we're not going to tolerate that here," he said.

Yet the numbers have continued to rise. There were 318 such robberies (268
muggings and 50 purse snatchings) last year. In 1999, there were 284
robberies (245 muggings and 39 purse snatchings).

Overall, police recorded 540 robberies across the city last year, a
16-per-cent-increase over the five-year average.

Robertson again pointed to crack houses and crack cocaine abusers as the
cause of this increase. He said the influx of crack cocaine in Hamilton
started about two years ago and that the city now has a number of crack
houses, with the threat of more popping up.

Despite the increased robbery figures, which were released at the police
services board meeting yesterday, Robertson insists he's not losing his
battle against crack cocaine.

"There are some areas where we need to concentrate our efforts, but the
citizens in this community should be reassured that the front-line officers
and detectives are committed to providing them with a good quality of life."

Deputy Chief Bruce Elwood said police have already targeted the area around
Copps Coliseum, which has resulted in a decrease in muggings in that
neighbourhood. This is a significant issue because if police are not able
to tackle this problem successfully, the streets become less safe and more
people fear being victimized. Robertson said muggings are robberies rather
than thefts because they often involve violence. He said the attacks
usually occur on the street late at night when the victims are most
vulnerable and can be quite terrifying.

Muggers are almost always looking for fast cash to feed their drug habit.

The rise in robberies in Hamilton tarnished an otherwise favourable
year-end crime statistics report, which saw an almost across-the-board drop
in crime. The number of violent crimes, which includes homicides, attempted
murder, sexual assaults, and assaults, dropped to 6,073, which is 3.9 per
cent fewer than the five-year average.

"This is a good news story. Crime in this community is down and the number
of arrests is up," Robertson adds.

He said property crimes are at an all-time low with a decrease of 15.7 per
cent -- 20,497 compared to the five-year average of 24,328. The BEAR
(Break, Enter, Auto, Theft and Robbery) task force, a group of 24 officers
dedicated to curbing property and violent crime, is being credited for both
the decrease in these types of crimes and the increase in clearance rates.

The police force was widely criticized last year for its low clearance
rates (the percentage of cases either solved or closed without laying
charges) compared to other cities such as Burlington, London or Toronto.

"Our clearance rates weren't what they should have been . . . we were
making arrests in the past, but we weren't clearing other crimes (by the
same person)," Elwood said. "Now we do follow-ups to clear outstanding
unsolved crimes."