UCFV PROFESSOR HEADS TO GROW-OP 'THINK-TANK' IN UK

Long seen as the home of indoor marijuana grow operations, B.C. may
now be turning that dubious distinction around to become a leader in
shutting down illegal grow-ops.

And Dr. Darryl Plecas at UCFV's School of Criminology and Criminal
Justice is leading the charge.

He'll be presenting new research this week on how B.C. is successfully
dealing with grow-ops at the prestigious Oxford Round Table held at
England's Oxford University.

"There are some indications we are starting to have a decrease in the
number of grow-ops in B.C., and that's quite unlike the rest of the
world," Plecas told The Progress Friday.

Dramatic increases in illegal grow-ops are being reported in
industrialized countries around the world, he said, and because they
are "mirror images" of grow-op technologies used here, "some attribute
their problem back to B.C."

Traditional law enforcement strategies to control them has not worked,
but dealing with grow-ops as health and public safety hazards as well
- - like Chilliwack's municipal bylaw - seems to be turning the tide in
B.C.

"Our research has focused on using alternatives to the traditional
criminal justice system approach as an added enforcement tool," Plecas
said. "This involves addressing grow-ops as a public safety hazard,
and involving partners such as fire departments and civic bylaw
enforcement teams."

The Oxford Round Table is a five-day invitation-only "think-tank" that
provides an opportunity for select leaders in both the public and
private sectors, as well as scholars, to discuss government policy.

The fact that UCFV has been invited to share findings garnered in
cooperation with local partner agencies "really illustrates how
seriously regarded our research is internationally," Plecas said.

"People don't understand that we do stuff (at UCFV) that has
international applications," he said, adding, "You're never famous in
your own backyard."

The research paper that Plecas will present was co-authored by Parvir
Girn, a crime analyst with the Surrey RCMP, Len Garis, Surrey Fire
Chief, and RCMP Superintendent Paul Nadeau, Director of the RCMP drug
branch in Ottawa.