DEALING WHEN DRUGS MOVE INTO THE NEIGHBOURHOOD

The beige curtains are closed and hanging askew at the house on
Coronation Avenue. A few empty pop cans sit at the edge of the
too-long grass and the windows need a good scrubbing.

The house is a sharp contrast to other houses on the street with
their crisp new paint, bright flower pots and neat hedges.

A brown car pulls into the driveway and its driver spills out,
leaving his two passengers while he goes into the house. A few
minutes later he heads back to the car, gets in, drives away.

The house stands out for more than its upkeep. Neighbours have
noticed unusual comings and goings over the past few months, and they
are concerned.

They suspect drugs are being sold from the house and worry
prostitution is also happening on the property.

"It's frustrating. I just want my neighbourhood back the way it was,"
said one woman.

Though several neighbours interviewed by the News Leader/Pictorial
said they are concerned about activity in the house, none of them
wanted their names used. They worry their homes and families may be
targeted for retaliation.

"We just don't know what might happen," said another neighbour,
adding his children walk to school past the house. "You worry, you
definitely worry."

A few minutes away, on Jubilee Street, neighbours are feeling the same way.

"That house is trouble," said one woman, pointing to a home just down
the street. "Sure this neighbourhood isn't all good, but most of us
that live here are good people. We don't got a lot of money, but we
still want a safe place to live."

People in both areas wonder why police haven't stopped the suspected
drug activity. They say police or the city should step in and help
them reclaim their neighbourhoods.

"This is ridiculous. There must be something we can do," said a
Jubilee neighbour, shaking her head.

"What people need to realize is any investigation into drugs is not a
quick operation," said Const. Darren Lagan of the North Cowichan/ Duncan RCMP.

That's where information on who has been coming and going and how
long they are staying plays a role. Police must show the courts a
long-term pattern of suspicious behaviour, not just one or two
unusual incidents, before a search warrant is approved.

"We really have to build that case and get it to a level where it is
acceptable to the courts and meets their requirements," said Lagan.

Concerned neighbours can be the RCMP's greatest asset in a drug
investigation, said Lagan, explaining they can be the eyes and ears
in a neighbourhood.

"We're not naive enough to think we know where every illegal drug
operation is in Duncan so that's why we need information from the
public," said Lagan.

"Generally, if someone's gut is telling them something's not right -
generally that instinct is right - if someone has lived there for
years and knows the street, and know they don't feel as safe, that
means a lot to us because they know the neighbourhood better than anyone."

please see Police, 2

Neighbours can be on the lookout for:

A general aura of neglect including poor maintenance, garbage, an unkempt lawn

A lack of normal home activity such as gardening, recreating in the yard, etc.

Many people coming and going, often making quick visits and leaving
passengers in the car while they run into the house

Lagan has one crucial piece of advice for neighbours who think they
have spotted a drug house in their area.

"First of all, never, ever confront the person."

But there are other, safer ways neighbours can help.

Lagan encourages people to make detailed notes of suspicious
activity, including:

Track vehicles stopping at the house including: vehicle descriptions,
licence plates, number of people in the vehicle, date, time of day,
and how long the vehicle stays

What the people in the vehicle are doing.

If the property is a rental unit, neighbours can call the landlord to
report concerns.

"They may not be aware it is an issue," said Lagan.

Another tool could come when North Cowichan finalizes a new bylaw,
likely later this summer, which would require landlords to make
frequent inspections of rentals and set out stiff clean-up
requirements for drug houses.

Police have options for working with neighbours concerned about
retaliation, protecting their identity or through anonymous programs
like Crimestoppers.

Lagan recommends neighbours begin a Blockwatch program.

"What it does is open up communication between neighbours in a
certain block - it fortifies the neighbourhood in a sense that
everyone is aware."

If neighbours want to help police with their investigation, police
will assign an officer who will meet with neighbours to collect information.

And patience, said Lagan, can be the hardest part of the experience.
Most people who start working with police to collect information are
discouraged when weeks go by with no search warrant or arrests.

"It may seem discouraging. It may seem like we are not doing anything
but we ask people to stay the course," he said.

Most drug investigations reach beyond the local level and include
undercover officers and the RCMP's organized crime section.

"We may be 90 per cent of the way to getting a warrant on that home
either to arrest or search and your call is the remaining piece we
need," said Lagan. "Often there is not just one person to call and
they each can have a piece of the information we need. That will all
start to snowball into a larger pile of evidence that helps us get a
warrant," said Lagan.

That is encouraging news for a woman on Coronation Avenue.

"That I could do something to stop this crap, I didn't know," she
said. "I'm skeptical, I don't know how long it will take. But this is
our neighbourhood and we're not letting everything we've worked for
just get taken by these people."