News (Media Awareness Project) - CN BC: Editorial: Hyperbole Not Needed With Crime |
| Title: | CN BC: Editorial: Hyperbole Not Needed With Crime |
| Published On: | 2008-06-10 |
| Source: | Maple Ridge Times (CN BC) |
| Fetched On: | 2008-06-14 16:40:16 |
HYPERBOLE NOT NEEDED WITH CRIME
Last week, Ridge Meadows RCMP's Marijuana Enforcement Team, which is
directly connected to the Crime Reduction Unit, busted a pair of
residential marijuana growing operations.
One involved police seizing a total of 833 marijuana plants, and the
other found 2,452 marijuana plants, in various stages of growth, along
with 32 pounds of dried marijuana.
According to a police press release, this team, in its first month,
has obtained eight search warrants. These busts go along with the
arrest of more than a dozen people last week in connection with drugs.
"Combined with the arrests and charges against a number of known drug
traffickers, our Crime Reduction Unit is having a profound effect
against the drug trade in our communities," said police spokesperson
Corporal Ryan Schlecker in the news release.
Hold on a minute.
Let's not get carried away here. Busting a few pot operations and
arresting a bunch of people in another case is nice, but as for it
having a "profound effect" on the drug trade, that sounds more like
hyperbole than reality.
The fact is, there are likely hundreds of marijuana grow-ops in Maple
Ridge and Pitt Meadows.
Nobody really knows, but that's the estimate that has come from police
sources many times over the years.
Selling B.C. Bud is huge business and it's safe to say a few busts
won't have much of an effect. Some critics even wonder if it's worth
all those resources being spent on what is essentially putting your
finger in a dike.
The sting operation that netted all those arrests will likely have
more of an effect on the community.
According to police, the community saw a large decrease in property
crime in the week following all those arrests. Police think the two
are connected. We hope so.
The fact is, it's difficult to quantify what kind of impact these
arrests and pot busts will have because there are so many unknown
variables. The police admitted as much during a press conference on
Monday. So if that is true, the police should think about laying off
on the "profound" pronouncements.
Last week, Ridge Meadows RCMP's Marijuana Enforcement Team, which is
directly connected to the Crime Reduction Unit, busted a pair of
residential marijuana growing operations.
One involved police seizing a total of 833 marijuana plants, and the
other found 2,452 marijuana plants, in various stages of growth, along
with 32 pounds of dried marijuana.
According to a police press release, this team, in its first month,
has obtained eight search warrants. These busts go along with the
arrest of more than a dozen people last week in connection with drugs.
"Combined with the arrests and charges against a number of known drug
traffickers, our Crime Reduction Unit is having a profound effect
against the drug trade in our communities," said police spokesperson
Corporal Ryan Schlecker in the news release.
Hold on a minute.
Let's not get carried away here. Busting a few pot operations and
arresting a bunch of people in another case is nice, but as for it
having a "profound effect" on the drug trade, that sounds more like
hyperbole than reality.
The fact is, there are likely hundreds of marijuana grow-ops in Maple
Ridge and Pitt Meadows.
Nobody really knows, but that's the estimate that has come from police
sources many times over the years.
Selling B.C. Bud is huge business and it's safe to say a few busts
won't have much of an effect. Some critics even wonder if it's worth
all those resources being spent on what is essentially putting your
finger in a dike.
The sting operation that netted all those arrests will likely have
more of an effect on the community.
According to police, the community saw a large decrease in property
crime in the week following all those arrests. Police think the two
are connected. We hope so.
The fact is, it's difficult to quantify what kind of impact these
arrests and pot busts will have because there are so many unknown
variables. The police admitted as much during a press conference on
Monday. So if that is true, the police should think about laying off
on the "profound" pronouncements.
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