RURAL AREAS NEED MORE POLICE TO COUNTER METH THREAT, MAYOR SAYS

CALGARY -- Rural areas need more police to counter criminals who are
moving their activities out of cities to escape detection, says the
mayor of a small town north of Calgary.

"It's a concern, and the government has to look at how we're policing
the rural areas," said Carstairs Mayor Lance Colby.

Carstairs is 25 kilometres east of Cremona, where RCMP investigators
found a crystal methamphetamine lab hidden on an acreage last
Wednesday. Considered a "super lab" by law enforcement agencies, the
operation contained almost 10 kilograms of crystal meth.

Increasing the RCMP presence in the area -- particularly highway
patrol units -- would increase the odds of spotting suspicious
activity on the roads at night, said Colby.

The mayor of Cremona said citizens have an important role to play.

"(Residents) need to be prepared to take down licence plate numbers,
identifying people and report it, said Ken Foreman.

"If the attitude is, 'I don't want to be put out,' then people are
going to have this thing next door to them."