VPD WON'T ATTEND DRUG OVERDOSES

Police Board Decision

In a bid to reduce overdose deaths, Vancouver police will no longer
attend drug overdose incidents with paramedics.

Drug users will not have to fear arrest if they are in trouble, say
police, although officers will still accompany paramedics to
"suspicious" incidents.

The idea is to encourage drug users to act quickly to get help if
they overdose.

The policy is based on research from Australia that showed drug
overdose deaths decrease when police stop laying charges for drug use.

The department has used this as an interim overdose policy for the
past two years, but made it official at its police board meeting
yesterday afternoon.

VPD'S Own CTU

In the wake of the recent arrests for alleged terror plots in
Ontario, VPD Chief Jamie Graham is reiterating the need to beef up
the counter-terrorism unit here in Vancouver.

"If there's ever another threat, there's a strong likelihood it's
going to happen at one of the three major [Canadian urban] centres,"
Graham told the police board yesterday. "We want to make sure the
people of Vancouver are protected, whatever the cost is."

The VPD's current counter-terrorism unit now has four officers.
Graham said its future role be one of "intelligence gathering."