CRIME GROWS IN QUIET COMMUNITIES

Coquitlam Folks Question Their Low Policing Levels While Area Grow-Ops
Continue To Flourish

Coquitlam, where large numbers of marijuana grow operations keep RCMP
busy, has the lowest number of police per capita among big B.C. cities.

A 2002 Statistics Canada survey of cities over 100,000 showed
Coquitlam, with 94 officers per 100,000, last among eight
municipalities. Vancouver leads with 197 officers per 100,000.

About 300 Coquitlam residents met earlier this year to see what could
be done about the number of grow-ops on the Westwood Plateau.

"The politicians tell us that they are tough on crime, but the
officers we have are overworked," says Coquitlam resident Doug Stead.
"I'm not kicking the police force doing the work. The politicians
don't want to put money out to put more boots on the streets."

Stead says he is willing to pay higher property taxes to fund a bigger
force.

Coquitlam Mayor Jon Kingsbury says the city tries to spend resources
on preventive measures such as hiring bylaw officers instead of costly
police officers and having a "restorative justice" approach that takes
kids out of the criminal system.

"Our ratio is down because I believe not enough time is spent on
creating solutions in this country," he said.

"Police officers chase the same things over and over again."

B.C.'s top forces in terms of numbers of police per 100,000 residents
were: Vancouver (197), Delta (140), Saanich (133), and Abbotsford (126).

The four cities with the lowest ratios were all served by the RCMP:
Richmond, with 121 officers per 100,000, Burnaby (119), Surrey (112)
and Coquitlam (94).

Simon Fraser University criminology professor Neil Boyd said
municipalities have "historically" resisted hiring additional police.

"Municipalities have not wanted to increase property taxes to pay for
them," he says.

Boyd says police are needed in Vancouver to deal with a "cultural
problem" of drug use, poverty and social disadvantages.

"One study found homicides were concentrated in a 12-block radius in
the Downtown Eastside," he says. "Vancouver's challenges are
significant."

Boyd says Vancouver has one officer per 508 residents, almost twice as
many as Bowen Island, with one officer per 1,000 residents.

"On Bowen, there is a lack of serious crime due to the nature of the
community," he says.

The police credo in Delta -- "no call is too small" -- is made
possible because Delta puts big resources into policing, says acting
mayor Guy Gentner.

"We stick by our motto," says Gentner. "Information may seem
irrelevant, but it could become very important. Delta has a hands-on
approach."

Gentner says it was "interesting" to note that the leaders in
police-to-resident ratio were all independent, municipally owned squads.

Delta police say they could use even more manpower.

"I don't see our numbers as good. We would like to have more police to
keep a lid on things," said Delta police spokeswoman Sharlene Brooks.

Surrey says it plans to hire 95 officers over two years.

But an RCMP internal report has noted that the sudden influx of
personnel has brought its own challenges by putting too many rookies
on the streets.

The internal report noted that rookies are "rushed into busy positions
with full caseloads well before they have an opportunity to learn
their role."

POLICE STAFFING

2002 police resources and population in B.C. cities with more than
100,000 people.

Population - People per square kilometre - Police Officers per -
Officers 100,000 population

Vancouver 580,094 5,087 1,143 197

Delta 102,089 604 143 140

Saanich 107,362 1,042 143 133

Abbotsford 117,001 339 148 126

Richmond* 168,254 1,355 204 121

Burnaby* 195,383 2,209 233 119

Surrey* 349,044 1,157 392 112

Coquitlam* 114,524 928 108 94

*Policed by RCMP Source: Statistics Canada