POLICE BLAME DRUG TRADE FOR BREAK-INS

Property Crimes Up Compared To 2007

Police are blaming the drug trade for a rise in break-ins and
property crimes in the city compared to last year.

Break-ins are up about 47 per cent to 115 from 78 as of the end of
May this year compared to the same time in 2007, while property
damage has jumped 35 per cent to 221 from 164.

While it's difficult to pinpoint why crime rates fluctuate, North Bay
Police Service Chief Paul Cook attributed the increase to
street-level drug trafficking and people stealing to support their addictions.

When you have that type of activity going on, often times they're
related offences such as thefts and break-ins," Cook said.

Police have a Lock It or Lose It campaign to encourage people to lock
their doors and windows to deter break-ins and lock up their vehicles
and keep items inside out of sight.

You are your own best crime prevention person by locking things up,
whether that's your bike, whether it's your car or whether it's your
residence or business," he said.

Police traditionally see marijuana partly due to the prevalence of
outdoor grow operations, although they've been seeing more hard drugs
like cocaine and crack in the city in recent years and have had
significant cocaine busts this year alone, the chief said.

City police devote one officer to the Ontario Provincial Police joint
forces drug unit.

Because North Bay is a transportation hub, police are finding people
selling drugs in the community have ties to suppliers in the Greater
Toronto Area and Ottawa, Cook said.

One of the challenges for our officers is the length of time and the
amount of effort you have to put into a drug investigation," he said.

It often involves meeting with informants or doing surveillance to
confirm information and trying to build enough information to get
grounds to obtain a search warrant."