HALIFAX SHOULD PROFIT FROM BUSTS - COUNCILLOR

Province Urged To Share Proceeds-of-crime Account With Municipalities To Help
Fund Policing

If crime pays, Halifax Regional Municipality should get a share, says Albro
Lake Councillor Clint Schofield.

Schofield, a member of the city's police commission, said he wants the
province
to share its proceeds-of-crime account with municipalities, because they pay
for law enforcement.

The extra money could be used to beef-up policing in areas such as his
north-end Dartmouth district, which has been battling prostitution and
drugs in
recent years.

Ontario shares cash

"You need extra policing to do that," he said.

Schofield said Ontario municipalities get a share of that province's crime
money, and Nova Scotia should consider following that lead.

He wants to find out more about how other provinces share the money when he
represents Halifax at the annual meeting of Canadian police commissions in
Edmonton later this week.

The size of the crime fund depends on what busts have been made recently, but
Schofield said there can be a lot of money and material seized.

"If they have a big drug bust they sell the boats and everything else," he
said. Justice Department spokeswoman Michele McKinnon said the province is
negotiating a new deal with the federal government to share proceeds of crime.

Federal guidelines agree

"That's exactly what's being looked at right now," she said.

The details have not been worked out, so it's not clear yet who will get how
much. But federal guidelines say some money should go toward crime prevention
and law enforcement, she said.

One factor that will probably influence any sharing arrangement is location,
she said. For example, if a boat is seized under the narcotics act, "it would
probably depend on where the offence occurred."

Checked-by: Ghamal de la Guardia