LAW ENFORCEMENT NEEDED ON ALL CITY STREETS, NOT JUST DOWNTOWN EASTSIDE

An Element Of Equity Has Finally Come To The Downtown
Eastside.

Like hostages freed from bondage, the majority of residents in the
Vancouver neighbourhood not involved in the illegal drug culture are
now walking the streets without fear, delighted at what the rest of us
take for granted.

As civil, law-abiding, caring citizens we should never allow public
disorder to get a foothold in a neighbourhood. Residents of the
Downtown Eastside, like those in Surrey's Whalley area, have the same
rights as everyone else and are entitled to the same expectations of
law enforcement.

The laws regarding public conduct should be enforced fairly, but
equally, throughout the region. Behaviour that is unacceptable in one
area must not be tolerated in another. Allowing enclaves of drug
dealers, rowdies and squeegee people (who do for-profit business in
moving traffic while paying no taxes) to do their business is not fair
to the majority of citizens in those communities who heed the law and
pay taxes.

"People don't want to turn the clock back to when the streets were
littered with drug dealers," said Vancouver NPA councillor Sam Sullivan.

Nor should they have to. The police's city-wide enforcement team
should be applauded for its work to ensure public safety in the area,
despite dubious support from the city's COPE-dominated council.

But the city-wide squad is also required to keep public order in those
neighbourhoods into which the drug and related crime culture has
dispersed. Bolstering the ability of community policing offices to
handle it must be a priority.

Local residents worry the city's police resources were reduced outside
skid row to support the crackdown there, thus enabling offenders to
shift to their section of the city. Breaking up the brazen drug market
is new-found freedom for the eastside, but other citizens also have a
right to safer streets.

We all want secure communities. Vancouver is hailed as one of the
world's safest, most environmentally-friendly cities. Just as a chain
is as strong as its weakest link, a city is tarnished by its toughest
neighbourhood.We must uphold tough standards of public order in every
neighbourhood to maintain this world-class image.

Police should also make sure their enforcement conduct meets public
expectations. At the moment, there is no consensus on the level of
force needed in apprehending a resistant suspect.

Whether true or false, accusations of police brutality indicate a gap
between the officers' conduct and the public's standard of what's
appropriate. The city's police board needs to map out a code of
conduct for officers, so everyone knows what to expect.

People want to be treated fairly and equally by the police. So do
neighbourhoods.