POLICE CRACKDOWNS DRIVING DRUG DEALERS TO BURNABY

Recent Successes Against Trafficking In Vancouver Has Created A 'Major
Problem' At Metrotown Skytrain Station

Margaret Duke and other residents near Metrotown Skytrain station are
complaining to Burnaby council that drug dealers and other criminals are
making their neighbourhood unsafe.

The Metrotown SkyTrain station in Burnaby has become a haven for drug dealers.

Residents living near the station appeared before Burnaby council Monday
night to complain about the growing drug problem.

Burnaby Councillor Derek Corrigan said he's heard from many local residents
that drug activity has been on the rise in recent months.

"While it was a nuisance before, now it's a major problem," he said.

Corrigan said he believes trafficking in the area has increased in part
because of police crackdowns on dealers at SkyTrain stations in Vancouver
and New Westminster.

Ken Allen, operations supervisor for TransLink security, said the special
constables on SkyTrain have long noticed the drug problem moving back and
forth between different cities depending on what the police are doing.

"It's a ping-pong displacement that occurs," he said. "It relates to the
enforcement that the police forces are enacting at the different stations."

And Allen said regulations that prohibit SkyTrain police from enforcing
Canada's drug laws means little can be done to stop the dealers while
they're in transit between two of their prime markets.

In mid-June, Burnaby RCMP arrested 45 people after a six-week investigation
into the sale of crack cocaine near Metrotown. After those busts, Allen
said, much of the drug traffic simply moved to the Broadway station.

In the last few weeks, police in Vancouver have stepped up enforcement on
SkyTrain.

On Monday, a Vancouver police crackdown in cooperation with SkyTrain police
charged 33 people with transit violations, two for intoxication, one for
breach of bail and another was held for immigration authorities.

"Now we're seeing a little bit more activity coming back to Metrotown,"
Allen said. "[Dealers] are like water. They travel the path of least
resistance."

Fear of arrest isn't the only reason dealers move. Many of those charged
with drug offences are issued area restrictions by the courts that prohibit
them from returning to the station where they were arrested.

Sergeant Joe Spindor, an officer with the street crime unit in New
Westminster, said those "no-go" orders are one of the reasons that city has
seen a dramatic drop in its drug problem from earlier this year.

Spindor said he wouldn't be surprised if some of his city's dealers have
relocated to Burnaby. "It's just a shame it's now in their backyard and not
ours."

Spindor said police in Burnaby, New Westminster and Vancouver try to keep
each other informed of their various enforcement activities. He also said
the forces will sometimes team up to try to coordinate their crackdowns and
reduce the displacement effect.

But some relocation of the problem appears inevitable, he said.

Margaret Duke, a resident of Metrotown for about 15 years, says she and her
husband are considering moving because of the growing crime. Duke said she
is afraid to leave home at night.

"I used to be able to go over on a Friday evening and do a bit of shopping
and walk back. But not anymore," she said. "It's really sad when you can't
go out. ... It never used to be this way."

Gary Wesa, a resident who appeared before city council Monday night, held a
neighbourhood meeting Tuesday night to discuss how the community can
improve its Blockwatch program.

"This is the drug capital of Burnaby," Wesa said. "I'm fed up, because I
don't want my children ... growing up in this environment."

Wesa said local residents have also noticed an increase in other crimes,
such as break-ins and thefts from automobiles, committed by addicts looking
for drug money.

Burnaby RCMP spokesman Sergeant Derek Cooke said the force is hoping a new
community policing centre opened earlier this month just two blocks from
the station will make a difference.

Last week, Burnaby RCMP arrested a man near the Metrotown station with 22
rocks of crack cocaine. The suspect, a refugee claimant, was already facing
drug charges in Vancouver and had been convicted of drug offences in San
Francisco, Cooke said.

Last May, Attorney-General Ujjal Dosanjh ordered a review of the role of
the special constables who patrol SkyTrain stations and SeaBus terminals
after TransLink requested more powers for its policing unit.

Under the Police Act, SkyTrain cops are unable to execute arrest warrants
or enforce drug laws.

Kate Thompson, a spokeswoman with the Attorney-General's office, said the
review should be completed by mid- November.

Allen said giving SkyTrain cops the authority to arrest people for drug
offences would make a difference.

"It would certainly help reduce the problem," he said.