CITY SEES MAJOR RISE IN GUN AND DRUG CRIMES

The number of drug and weapons charges going through the court system
in the city has doubled over the past seven years, according to a
recent study.

In an analysis by The Canadian Press of provincial criminal charges,
area residents faced more than 1,000 drug possession charges in 2007,
more than double the 490 charges laid in 2000.

Weapons charges in the capital also spiked, up to 1,300 last year from
700 in 2000.

"The problem we get when people see numbers like these and then ask
questions about the city's crime rate, it's comparing apples and
oranges because the two are not the same," said Randy Mar, director of
corporate planning for the Ottawa Police Service. "We don't look at
charges in terms of how our city is faring when it comes to crime.
What we know is that, overall, crime in Ottawa is down."

One of the reasons the number is rising while crime is declining could
be the establishment in 2006 of the force's guns and gangs unit.

Staff Sgt. Mike Callaghan, who oversees the youth crime aspect of the
operation, said while crime rates might be down in many areas, there's
no doubt some things are happening more frequently than before.

GUN CRIMES UP

"The answer is yes," said Callaghan when asked if weapons are finding
their way into the hands of teens more than ever before.

"But I don't necessarily measure any successes by the number of
charges laid. I measure success in the number of young people we can
get to before they have a chance to participate in criminal activity."

Ottawa West-Nepean MP John Baird said the feds are doing what they can
to combat crime by ensuring provincial and municipal leaders have the
resources they need.

"We are fighting tooth and nail for things such as mandatory jail
sentences for violent crimes," said Baird. "But it has to be a
multi-level approach. Everyone has to do their part."

The study also looked at the length of time it takes criminal charges
to make it through the justice system. In Ottawa, the longest waits
were those related to murder (433 days in 2007). The provincial
average was 286 days.