VICTORIA STAYS NEAR TOP OF LIST FOR DRUG ARRESTS

Greater Victoria has one of the highest drug crime rates in the nation, a
new Statistics Canada study says. But Victoria police said the region's
high ranking is partly the result of strong enforcement of drug laws.

British Columbia led all provinces for drug offences, with nearly double
the national rate.

Greater Victoria ranked third among Canadian cities, with police reporting
a drug crime rate of 459 offences per 100,000 people in 2002. Thunder Bay,
Ont. was in top spot at 571, followed by the Lower Mainland at 468.

Statistics Canada said drug rates in cities varied considerably over the
past decade, but the Lower Mainland and Victoria were among the leaders
each year.

Victoria's deputy police chief Geoff Varley said the city has been a
"statistical victim of our own success."

"We've got a relatively high number of drug offences that we report because
we're being quite proactive in targeting drug offenders, certainly in our
downtown," he said.

"Technically, if you do more work, unfortunately, the statistics go up,
showing that you have more offences."

Varley noted, however, that the number of offences in Victoria fell by more
than 200 offences to 1,473 in 2002 from 1,689 in 2001.

"The good part is that we're going the right way," he said.

British Columbia's rate of drug-related incidents has been above the
national average each of the past 25 years.

In 2002, B.C. had a drug crime rate of 544 offences per 100,000 people --
almost double the national rate of 295. Saskatchewan ran a distant second
at 351 incidents, New Brunswick was third at 343.

B.C. Solicitor General Rich Coleman said the Statistics Canada numbers come
as no surprise and called for tougher penalties to combat the problem.

"Our law enforcement community is working night and day to push back on
organized crime and all the issues in and around the drug trade," he said.
"I've been saying to the federal government for the last two years that we
need to have some increased penalties."

Coleman said B.C. pays a high price because the United States imposes
stiffer penalties than Canada for drug crimes.

"Their attitude down there, frankly, is: 'We're going to keep our penalties
high, so they'll go to an easier jurisdiction to do business.' Which is
British Columbia. I don't like that, and I think we have to push back on it."

Statistics Canada said the national drug crime rate has been on an upward
trend since 1993, driven by a rising number of marijuana offences. The rate
of marijuana crimes jumped 80 per cent over the 10-year span -- largely
because of a rise in the number of possession charges.

Cities near international airports or marine ports have been major access
points for the movement of drugs in and out of the country, Statistics
Canada said.

"According to the Criminal Intelligence Service Canada (CISC), organized
crime groups involved in the drug trade have a presence at several of
Canada's marine ports, particularly Vancouver, Montreal and Halifax," the
report says.

"For example, organized crime groups in Lower Mainland B.C. are well
situated geographically to exploit the international trade of illicit drugs
around the Pacific Rim."

Statistics Canada also noted the link between drugs and violence, reporting
that 684 homicides -- about one in 10 -- from 1992 to 2002 were drug-related.

Of those, 19 per cent took place in Vancouver, 18 per cent in Montreal and
12 per cent in Toronto. More than half of the homicides involved heroin.

Drug Crime:

Number of drug offences reported by police per 100,000 population in 2002

Thunder Bay, Ont. 571

Greater Vancouver 468

Greater Victoria 459

Trois-Rivieres, Que. 364

St. Catharines-Niagara 316

Saskatoon, Sask. 306

Gatineau, Que. 287

Sherbrooke, Que. 280

London, Ont. 269

Quebec City 252

Source: Statistics Canada