POLICE CHIEF: VICTORIA DRUG PROBLEM NOT AS BIG AS SOME SAY

Jamie Graham Says Alcohol Abuse Major Issue

By Bill Cleverley, Times Colonist

Victoria's illegal drug trade isn't nearly the problem many think it
is, Police Chief Jamie Graham told a meeting of downtown residents last night.

In fact a recently completed undercover operation in Victoria barely
turned up any drugs or arrests, Graham said.

"That doesn't mean we don't have drug issues in Victoria but the kind
of volume you would anticipate when you do these operations just
wasn't there. It just wasn't," Graham said.

"The interesting thing that we got back from many of the drug
officers that worked on this operation was how difficult it was to buy drugs."

Even though some people report seeing drugs being used or sold on a
consistent basis all over Victoria, the numbers in the recent sweep
just don't bear that out, he said.

"From experts in the field that go undercover, and trust me they are
undercover to try to buy drugs, they are not there in the kind of
volume you might think. When over a period of two weeks or so we end
up with only 12 or 15 arrests, those numbers are really small," Graham said.

Overall, Graham said, Victoria has a small group of hard-core drug users.

"It's not widespread. It's small. They're disruptive and we know they
create difficulties."

If there's a constant type of call that Victoria police have to
respond to, it's reports of disorder -- people yelling or screaming,
arguments, doors being slammed or pushing and shoving, added Graham.

"Many of the issues our officers are sent to, they act almost as
referees," he said.

The number one problem police face is with alcohol and alcohol abuse, he said.

"Alcohol misuse is just a problem. There's no easy solution for that.
We've lived with it for so many years. Alcohol abuse ruins families;
there's more destruction and domestic violence cases.

"It brings to the table so many problems that if there's an area I
would like to focus more attention on, it's on alcohol abuse and
prevention," Graham said.

Graham was participating in a panel that included Coun. Charlayne
Thornton-Joe, Coaltion to End Homelessness CEO Jill Clements and
Downtown Victoria Business Association general manager Ken Kelly in a
forum on downtown issues sponsored by the Downtown Victoria Residents
Association.