CONCERN OVER DRUGS, THEFTS IN MILL WOODS

Drug houses and theft are among the issues police need to tackle in
south Edmonton.

That's the word from residents at a community meet-and-greet yesterday
at Mill Woods Town Centre conducted by the EPS and the city's
Safedmonton program.

"I've always been suspicious about a number of people coming and going
to a house near me, but I don't really know what to do," carpenter
Blaine Edwards, 24, told Sun Media.

After talking to cops temporarily set up at the mall yesterday,
Edwards now knows he can submit tips anonymously.

Ted Malabuyoc, 36, is concerned about theft. He said he once went on a
holiday and did not have anyone checking his mailbox. When he came
home a week later, he found out that a $1,000 cheque he was expecting
in the mail had arrived and had been stolen.

Sgt. Harjinder Grewal said he wasn't surprised with what he heard from
the more than 100 people who came and talked to him, two other
constables and Safedmonton volunteers.

"Drug houses are everywhere," he said. "It's not just in Mill Woods."

Yesterday's informal meet-and-greet ran for five hours in the centre
of the mall.

Police want residents to know they can do their bit by looking out for
each other, said Grewal. A similar event is tentatively planned for
next month at the mall.