DRUG WAR ON OUR DOORSTEP

Despite being Canada's fourth-largest city and its fastest-growing, Calgary
has retained a certain innocence more characteristic of a small town. Part
of that was a diminished expectation of the lives of ordinary people being
disrupted by violent crime.

The same demographic changes experienced elsewhere in Canada are now
manifesting themselves here, however. Immigration, a growing young
population and changing attitudes have resulted in a surge of organized
crime that's taken Calgary by surprise.

As provincial Solicitor General Harvey Cenaiko put it: "If the life of a
17-year-old is worth 300 bucks, there's a problem in society."

Cenaiko was referring to a recent spate of murders arising from drug debts,
where the amounts in contention have been pitifully small. They appear to
be the work of ethnic gangs, striving to control the illegal drug trade.

Cenaiko is right to take it seriously, for the trend is alarming. Once, the
Hells Angels was just a rowdy gang of disaffected Second World War
veterans. However, instead of these old soldiers fading away, they became
addicted to the substantial profits of crime, got organized and are today
deeply embedded in North American society.

Canadians have no interest in seeing history repeat itself. Cenaiko
therefore deserves congratulation for securing government funding to add 60
more police officers to the province's organized crime team.

Such is the scale of the problem, that more may yet be needed.

It is, however, a big step in the right direction, and will find wide
support in Calgary and across the province.