POLICE CHIEF EXPECTS TO SEE NEW MAYOR SOON ON INJECTION ISSUE

Vancouver police chief Jamie Graham said Monday he expects to meet
with mayor-elect Larry Campbell very soon, and one of the things
they're sure to talk about is the prospect of safe drug-injection sites.

Following an address at the Terminal City Club, Graham said drug
enforcement is a difficult issue, and he's not yet sure how it will be
addressed by the department.

"We're affected by issues of public safety. And as long as issues
affect public safety, then it's going to get my attention.

"I can tell you right now, the Vancouver police will never break the
law. The police can't pick and choose which laws they choose to enforce.

Vancouver police spokeswoman Constable Sarah Bloor said that means the
police can't take part in a safe-injection-site project without
approval from the federal government.

"We're governed by the Criminal Code of Canada," Bloor said. "A police
officer who witnesses a crime being committed and is able to make an
arrest has an obligation to do so."

Police "don't get to say, 'We like this law, we don't like that law,'" said
Bloor.

The police chief was reluctant to go into specifics of what he will
discuss with Campbell, but he noted: "I think Larry Campbell has won a
very clear mandate and I'm really looking forward to meeting [with]
him. We know each other. We're friends and I don't see any issue with
getting right to the facts, the issues of the day. I'm looking forward
to it."

Graham, a former RCMP chief superintendent, became Vancouver's police
chief in July.