POLICE CRACK DOWN ON STREET CRIME; 43 PEOPLE ARRESTED

Saskatoon's street crime activity has taken a serious hit with 43
people arrested and charged, 10 vehicles impounded and 93 marijuana
plants nabbed through a joint undercover operation by the Saskatoon
Police Service and RCMP.

During Operation Oktoberfest, officers also seized two prohibited
weapons, which were loaded, and a raft of other drugs including
morphine, cocaine, crack cocaine, methamphetamine, Ritalin and Dilaudid.

"We infiltrated areas and were able do things that I feel are going to
have an impact on our streets for the good. The flow of the illegal
product is hopefully not going to be as open and easily done now,"
said Sgt. Jerome Engele of Saskatoon's integrated drug unit.

During two weeks in October, 36 officers (three teams of 12 members
each) investigated various areas of criminal activity in the city,
executing search warrants and acting on tips.

They also struck a blow to an illicit delivery service known to police
as "Dial-A-Dope."

"Hopefully that will be curtailed to the point where people are going
to be very leery about who they're dealing to," said Engele, noting
the 43 people arrested are not part of one large criminal ring. They
are individuals who were identified to authorities through Crime
Stoppers and other means.

Once the police had a better handle on who the players were and where
they might be, an action plan was put in place, said Engele.

"It was an array of everything -- a number of burning issues that
needed to be taken care of," he said.

The operation also put a sting into the sex trade, for which 24 people
were charged and seven vehicles seized.

"We were going out and trying to attack all types of criminals on the
street," said Engele. "We weren't just going after people dealing
drugs. We were going after any person that was breaking any sections
of the Criminal Code."

But there were still some outstanding matters and individuals who were
wanted by police. On Nov. 15, the investigation culminated in two
high-risk takedowns reminiscent of scenes from a Hollywood action film.

In the first case, emergency response team members waited behind the
Centennial Auditorium for a drug deal to occur. Before the suspects
could exit the vehicle, the officers tossed a distraction device, also
known as a concussion grenade. The explosion disoriented the suspects
as officers swooped in and pulled them from the car.

"The officers needed the opportunity to get into position to prevent
these people from taking off," explained Engele. "They were operating
in a place where the public could be injured if these guys took off in
their car and hit someone or started a high-speed chase. We didn't
want that."

The second incident was a raid at an Idylwyld Drive motel, which
resulted in the arrests of seven people on outstanding warrants and
the recovery of two loaded weapons and many types of drugs.

"This was very successful on the street level because it's going to
make people more aware and careful. It may not have been a great deal
of drugs but the impact it had across a range of criminal activities
is certainly a big deal to us," said Engele. "It's something our
officers should be very proud for what they did. And it should make
the community feel that we're making their streets safe."

Engele won't say the street value of the 93 marijuana plants, which
would likely produce about eight kilograms of pot.

"We try not to say that anymore because it might suggest to people
that there's big money in dealing drugs," he said.

Several of the tips that helped propel the operation came from
concerned citizens phoning in complaints about questionable activity
and heavy traffic in their neighbourhoods. People might think their
complaints fall on deaf ears but it takes time to gather enough
information to make a successful arrest and charges that will stick,
Engele noted.

"Ninety per cent of the time, people only give us partial information
so we have to go and sit and do surveillance," said Engele. "And other
investigative techniques have to be utilized so we can get enough
evidence for a search warrant or pursue other avenues. It always takes
time.

"I know people want instant results but it's very difficult
sometimes."

Some of the people arrested in Operation Oktoberfest face trafficking
charges, but in other cases officers decided to wait a little longer
to nail down lists of contact names and more product, said Engele. A
number of related searches also sprung from the investigation,
including one that just concluded on Thursday.

It may have spread across the greater part of a month but
comparatively Oktoberfest wrapped up rather fast, Engele said.

"Most operations, you aren't able to clean them up as quickly. But we
were able to do a lot in a short time on this one because of the
number of members involved."

The operation involved the integrated drug unit (with RCMP
assistance), vice unit, organized crime unit, street crimes unit,
break and enter investigators, members of the serious habitual
offender comprehensive action plan, emergency response team and break
and enter comprehensive action plan.