DRUGS TOP WORRY

StatsCan: Canadians See Dealers, Users As Biggest Blights On Neighbourhoods

OTTAWA (CP) - Drug use and drug dealing were commonly seen by
Canadians as the biggest problem plaguing their neighbourhoods,
according to a study released Tuesday by Statistics Canada.

The report looked at Canadians' perception of signs of crime across
12 major cities.

Signs of crime included physical crime, such as graffiti, litter and
vandalism, and social crime, such as loud parties, public drunkenness
and prostitution.

Between nine and 19 per cent of people deemed drug dealing and drug
use the biggest blight on their neighbourhood.

Overall, nine per cent of people living in Canada's 12 largest cities
saw garbage or litter lying around to be a problem in their neighbourhood.

The study was based on data collected in the 2004 General Social
Survey monitoring changes and emerging trends in Canadian society.

The report said a person's perception of signs of crime, or
incivility, stem from "a constellation of influences," including
personal experience, the tone of media reports about the "crime"
problem in a city and/or neighbourhood and anecdotes recounted by
significant people in the individual's life.

Statistics Canada social science researcher Leslie-Anne Keown said
the survey was the first of its kind asking in-depth questions
concerning perception of signs of crime at a national level.

Keown said among the most interesting findings was that perception of
signs of crime in one area, such as drug use or drug dealing, were
generally seen with other types of incivilities having to do with
conditions in the environment, like littering and graffiti.

"Basically, when we see one we see the other, if we live in a
downtown kind of urban area, whereas when we live in a suburb we seem
to see them less frequently linked together," she said.

Criminology expert Vincent Sacco said among the things requiring
further exploration is what the implications of people's perception
of signs of crime signify in the bigger picture.

"What we've found in several American studies, for example, is that
when people perceive these things as problems, they have quite a
different attitude towards their community than when they don't
perceive them as problems," said Sacco, a professor with the
sociology department at Queen's University in Kingston, Ont.

"In other words, they like the community less, they feel less
comfortable in it, they may be less trusting of their neighbours, etc."

"There could be important implications that emerge out of those
perceptions, but all this report does thus far, really, is describe
to us what those perceptions are."

Sacco said law enforcement and other community agencies have been
paying a lot of attention to the issue, with community policing
initiatives in many Canadian cities oriented toward attempting to do
something about incivility.

Sacco said the concept finds its origins in the "broken windows" idea
of policing which stems partly out of New York City's experience -
namely, if you want to do something about big crime problems in the
city, you have to attack the smaller problems, which if left
unattended can create an environment where bigger problems can emerge.

*SIDEBAR*

CRIME PERCEPTIONS:

Statistics Canada's study of Canadians' perception of signs of crime revealed:

.Between nine and 19 per cent of people feel drug dealing and drug
use is the worst issue in their neighbourhood.

.The least often observed signs of crime were prostitution and people
sleeping on the streets.

.Nine per cent of people saw garbage or litter lying around to be a problem.