DOWNTOWN THE FOCUS OF NEW POLICE SQUAD

A new police squad for downtown Prince George will arrest like never
before, but they will also work like never before with the suspects.

Cpl. Kent MacNeill has been working the streets of the northern
capital for nine years, the latter four in their plainclothes drug
section. He was tapped by Supt. Brenda Butterworth-Carr to command a
dedicated team who will do little else but police the core of the city
with a zero tolerance attitude, but with a twist.

"We will apply whatever laws are at our disposal: the Criminal Code,
the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, liquor laws, city bylaws,
anything we can use," said MacNeill. He intends to have regular
meetings with the law enforcement agencies that accompany these
various regulations.

He also intends to meet regularly with the variety of social agencies
in the downtown and across the city, because this team also has a
follow-through mandate.

"If I know someone who frequents the downtown, someone who causes
problems for the businesses and agencies in the downtown, and I catch
him smashing a parking meter or a window or whatever, I will arrest
that person, I will see that person through prosecution in court, but
we will not wash our hands of him. We will take a look at what that
person's needs are, and help source out help for that.

Maybe he needs some mental health care, maybe there's an addiction
that needs treatment, maybe he's had a troubled life and needs
counselling of some kind. We can't dictate what a person does to get
help, but we can refer people to their options, and the better our
relationships with the agencies that deliver that service, the better
chance these people have of not doing things that will attract the
attention of police and the courts. We will see them through that
process as well, so we can maybe get to the root of the crimes instead
of just cycling the same people through the system all the time."

The new team will wear police uniforms and will work closely with the
other units at the detachment. Being on the street interacting with
prolific offenders and the harmless homeless alike will gather
important intelligence to fight organized crime and the seedier local
underworld.

"One thing we are cognizant of is the displacement effect, whenever
you crack down on a certain area," said Const. Gary Godwin, spokesman
for the Prince George RCMP. "When this team goes to work, we expect
that the areas around the downtown are going to worry about criminal
activity migrating to their backyard, but we will also be trying to
respond to that where it's needed with the regular watch members, but
by putting more attention on the real needs of these people we arrest,
we hope to actually reduce the amount of crime not just push it around
to other areas."

"Those resources (social agencies) are there for a reason, they do
good work, they know a lot of these people already, they are there to
help people and so are we so we want to engage them," MacNeill said.
"If we can use enforcement as a tool to get people the overall help
they need to exit a high-risk lifestyle, or a criminal lifestyle,
that's a great thing. Crime will be reduced, and maybe we can help
some people get through to a better life for themselves. Everybody
wins."

The downtown foot patrols by auxiliary and reserve constables, and
normal patrols by Mounties on the daily watch should not be
diminished, said MacNeill. However, this team might be doing patrols
on foot, or on bike, or in vehicle.

MacNeill is currently touring the downtown social agencies letting
them know of the new team's impending launch and the ways they might
be able to work together.

He also plans to tour local businesses to likewise introduce himself
to merchants who have often felt the brunt of downtown crime, a
situation MacNeill called "an open-air drug market."

The downtown enforcement team is scheduled to begin their pilot phase
in January, and be fully ramped up by spring.