NEARBY CITIES SUSPECT METH AT ROOT OF RISE IN CRIME

FORT SASKATCHEWAN - A growing methamphetamine problem combined with the
trusting nature of its residents contributed to a huge increase in crimes
last year in Fort Saskatchewan.

"We still live in a community where people leave their vehicles and doors
unlocked," Fort RCMP Const. Helen Meinzinger said Wednesday.

"We still live in a trusting, small, safe community. We do have a meth issue
in our community. It is not something we are trying to deny and it is
something we are trying to deal with."

She categorized most of the break-ins as "crimes of opportunity," where
owners simply left valuables in unlocked cars.

Mayor Ken Hodgins said the city is looking at reasons behind the increase.

"Every once in a while, communities get a rash of these things," he said.
"Some of these things go in spurts. We still provide a very safe, secure
community for our citizens."

Meinzinger said police believe many of the crimes may be related to drug
use.

"As far as I'm concerned, as soon as you have a handful of people with a
meth issue, you've got a problem," she said.

"I don't think you can compare us to Drayton Valley who have been dealing
with it for many more years that we have, but we also don't want to be hit
by the train two years down the road."

There have been no meth lab busts in the city of about 14,000, though a
couple of investigations turned up lab equipment and ingredients.

"I would have to think we still see a lot of it coming in from Edmonton,"
Meinzinger said.

The mayor said while the percentage increase may be high, residents should
look at the actual numbers. Statistics show Criminal Code charges in the
city leapt 30 per cent to 1,495 in 2003 from 1,149 in 2002. But of those
charges last year, 108 were related to a single case of employee theft and
fraud at Wal-Mart.

RCMP laid 449 charges of theft under $5,000 in 2003 compared with 278 in
2002 and thefts from vehicles were up about 80 per cent. Theft over $5,000
increased to five cases from three and drug charges fell to 53 from 59 a
year earlier.

The city has set up a committee to come up with ways to prevent young
people, typically from about 17 to 21 years old, from experimenting with
highly addictive methamphetamine. The city also has one of the province's
first support group programs for the families of addicts.

Dave Worman, Fort Saskatchewan's director of protective services, said the
city has traditionally had low crime rates compared with other communities
with similar populations, so he cautioned against reading too much into the
increase in crime.

"An increase of any kind is a concern, but in terms of the Criminal Code
cases, we remain quite low in the province," he said.

Leduc, about the same size as Fort Saskatchewan, did not see a similar
increase in crime over the past year, however it experienced 11 cases
involving crystal meth in all of 2003 and there have already been 11 so far
this year.

"Methamphetamine is definitely becoming more prevalent in town," Leduc RCMP
Const. Rich Graydon said.

To the west of Edmonton, Const. Craig Albers of the Stony Plain and Spruce
Grove RCMP detachment, said Stony Plain experienced 300 thefts under $5,000
cases in 2003 compared with 255 in 2002. He suspected many were break-ins
committed by drug users looking for quick cash or items they could sell.
"But that's sometimes just a suspicion," he said. Drug charges in the town
of about 10,000 fell to 46 in 2003 from 50 in 2002.