SURREY HAS FASTEST-GROWING RATE OF DRUG INCIDENTS IN CANADA

Surrey has earned the dubious distinction of having the fastest-growing
rate of drug incidents of major Canadian communities.

The rate of drug offences more than doubled between 1998 and 2002 -- to 531
per 100,000 residents in '02 from 247 in '98, according to Statistics Canada.

Surrey RCMP Const. Tim Shields said the figures reflect increased
enforcement by police, especially in the high-crime neighbourhood of Whalley.

"Since 1998, we started the foot patrols in Whalley and the bike patrols
that are dedicated to Whalley," he said. "As we've increased our manpower
in those sections, we've seen a dramatic increase in the number of drug
seizures."

Shields said Whalley has had an ongoing issue of street-level drug
trafficking on 135A Street and at SkyTrain stations, where police have
focused their efforts.

In addition, last year the department assigned 20 officers to target
marijuana grow-ops, resulting in an average of one takedown per day, said
Shields.

Peter Nichols, president of the Whalley Business Improvement Association,
said the community has welcomed a recent crackdown from police on drug
dealers at the SkyTrain station at Surrey Place Mall, as well as city bylaw
officers targeting derelict homes.

"We're hoping the statistics will be reduced in the future," he said.

The community is starting to turn itself around, with 20 new developments
in the works, Nichols added.

Drug incidents in the report refer to all cases reported by police, whether
they involve arrests or not. They could involve an officer seizing drugs
and letting a suspect go.

By comparison, Vancouver has seen its drug incidents rise to 545 per
100,000 in 2002 from 356 in 1998. Richmond has climbed to 651 incidents per
100,000 from 403 during the same years.

Richmond RCMP Cpl. Peter Thiessen said it was the first time he'd heard
about the stats, but added he wasn't surprised, especially with police
taking aim at pot grow-ops.

Acting Richmond Mayor Derek Dang said the community is more aware that
there is a "drug culture" and agreed that police actions are responsible
for the higher numbers. "There would be a spike because we're spending more
resources" on enforcement, he said.

Other B.C. communities with big drug crime rates are Whistler, Victoria,
West Vancouver, White Rock, Prince Rupert and Fort St. John.

Toronto's rate rose to 211 per 100,000 in 2002 from 172 in 1998.

B.C. reported the highest rate of drug incidents in Canada, at 544 per
100,000, almost double the national rate of 295. B.C. was followed by
Saskatchewan at 351 and New Brunswick at 343. The report said B.C.'s rate
has been above the national average every year for the past 25 years.

Across Canada, the drug-crime rate has gone up 42 per cent since the early
'90s and now stands at a 20-year high. Three in four incidents involve
cannabis.

DRUG INCIDENTS

2002 RATES PER 100,000 POPULATION

Abbotsford 314

Burnaby 391

Campbell River 543

Chilliwack 695

Coquitlam 224

Courtenay 723

Delta 408

Fort St. John 1,562

Kamloops 563

Kelowna 539

Langley City 558

Langley Township 362

Maple Ridge 364

Mission 582

Nanaimo 724

New Westminster 608

North Vancouver City 458

North Vancouver District 179

Penticton 419

Port Coquitlam 260

Port Moody 509

Prince George 457

Prince Rupert 1,213

Richmond 651

Saanich 292

Surrey 531

Vancouver 545

Vernon 456

Victoria 856

West Vancouver 842

White Rock 866

Whistler 2,050

Sources: Statistics Canada