NEIGHBOURS WANT DRUG HOUSE SHUT DOWN

A group of First Avenue residents are at their wits' end following
repeated break-ins, thefts and other problems since August 2005.

"Directly across the alley from us is a known drug house, which most
of us in the area believe is where a lot of our problems stem from,"
said Sandra Ritchie in a letter to Mayor Jim Davidson and council
requesting help.

Sandra said poor police response has left the residents feeling
powerless especially after she and husband Steve found two used
syringes in the bed of their truck while clearing their driveway on
Oct. 30 and were told by police to simply put the syringes in the garbage.

"What if we had put our one-year-old in the back of the pickup while
we shoveled?" she asked.

"I'm really frustrated, we just want our neighbourhood cleaned up."

RCMP Staff Sgt. Rod Holland said police have opened an operational
file on the complaint, but because of the vagueness of the
information, it is difficult for them to take action.

He said people are sometimes afraid to come forward and even when
they do, they often don't understand that investigators need more to
go on than suspicion, such as the time and place of actual criminal
activity, descriptions or names of suspects, licence plate numbers
and other details that untrained observers might not catch.

"Providing us with that additional information is absolutely
essential," he said.

Despite perception that nothing is being done, Holland also asserted
that RCMP have made a significant dent in Smithers drug crime.

"Our strategic priority for the last three years has been to reduce
substance-related issues," he said. "We actually have quite a high
clearance rate on those files."

Holland told The Interior News that his detachment has seized $1.4
million worth of cash and drugs over the last year alone.

That is little comfort to Sandra, who said she doesn't feel safe in
her own home.

The Ritchies were also not impressed by council's handling of their letter.

"That was pretty lame," Steve said following the Dec. 12 council
meeting. "They spent more time talking about recycling than the drug
problem in this town."

Council only briefly touched on the letter passing a motion to write
a letter of response.

"I'm trying really hard to go through all the proper channels, but
every time I turn around it seems like it's just being swept under
the carpet," she said.

Public frustration over drugs in communities is growing across the
country erupting over the summer in New Brunswick when four men
burned down a suspected crack dealer's house. The men were hailed as
heroes by their neighbours, but the court ultimately convicted them
on weapons and arson charges in November.

Sandra said they have no intention of taking matters into their own
hands, but they are running out of patience and looking for any kind
of help to curb criminal activity in their neighbourhood.