ONE GROW OP PER WEEK TAKEN DOWN

Mission RCMP have been taking down at least one marijuana grow
operation per week since a full time cannabis grow op coordinator has
been in place.

"Our target was ambitious, but I'm pleased we've met it," said RCMP
Insp. Pat Walsh.

Since September last year, 45 grow operations have been busted and 43
people have been arrested.

According to police statistics, 20,222 plants valued at $12.2 million
were located, as well as $1.4 million worth of dried bud.

Taking down these marijuana grow ops have cost the police $49,160 in
overtime and $26,612 in outside resources. Both these costs are
charged back to the homeowner, said Walsh.

While the inspector couldn't provide the numbers for the same time
period in 2004-2005, he says, with confidence, police didn't come
close to dismantling this many grow ops without the coordinator.

Even though the grow op coordinator has made a difference, Walsh says
there's a lot more his officers could do given more resources.

"We receive well over 200 tips per year," Walsh noted. "The numbers
don't reflect what we could do."

Local police are also getting impaired drivers off the streets
through another initiative which started last year.

"We've made a commitment that ... there will be no use of discretion
in dealing with an impaired driver," said Walsh.

"For whatever reasons, these people are reckless ... homicide is
homicide, whether it's with a firearm or a vehicle."

In the past, suspected impaired drivers were given a 24-hour driving
suspension because a breath technician was not on shift. But not
anymore, says Walsh, who will not hesitate to prosecute impaired drivers.

"Even if there is no breath technician on shift, we will bring one
in," said Walsh. "We won't give someone a break because there is no
technician."

In 2004, the local detachment reported 52 cases of impaired driving.

That number rose to 75 in 2005, and to 87 in the first nine months of this year.