BEEF UP POLICE TO FIGHT DRUGS, GANGS: CHIEF

Faced with a rising tide of drugs, gangs and organized crime, city
police are pushing for more officers to thicken the thin blue line.

And police Chief Murray Rodd is cautioning that if that doesn't
happen, the community policing model, long used by the force, could be
in jeopardy.

The community policing system harkens back to the 1950s, when officers
walked the beat and knew almost everyone on it.

A broader version of that is still in place.

Almost every officer in the police service is assigned an area to
patrol, either by foot, bike or cruiser. Many are assigned to local
organizations, acting as liaisons for the service.

"We have practiced this since 1978, religiously," Rodd
said.

Police are appealing to the new city council, stressing the need for
new officers and civilian staff.

The chief is offering a "police academy" of sorts for councillors,
extending an open invitation for ride-alongs, tours and meetings to
give councillors an in-depth look at how the service operates.

Policing, he said, is a complex business, and informed decisions can
only be made if councillors understand what police are up against.

During the municipal election, Daryl Bennett stated that police should
get as many officers as it takes to keep the streets safe.

Bennett didn't return requests for comment Friday.

The 2012 business plan calls for the hiring of at least 10 new
officers, to beef up platoons and enlarge the traffic unit.

"It's the absolute bare minimum of officers we need," Rodd
said.

The service has increased its drug unit, from one full-time officer to
four.

Insp. Tim Farquharson said that was done at the expense of general
patrol, meaning there are less uniform officers available to respond
to everyday calls for service.

He added that an officer typically begins his or her shift with a
backlog of calls awaiting them, which can be anywhere from six to 60
calls.

Bikers and gangs from Durham region, Scarborough and even one
homegrown operation, the Ugly Crew, are all looking for a stake in the
city's lucrative drug market, he said.

The Ugly Crew is made up of about eight members.

Farquharson said they're responsible for waves of break-ins, robberies
and at least one stabbing, on New Year's Eve.

Now an Outlaw biker gang has set up a clubhouse, just feet away from
city limits.

The OPP's biker enforcement unit warned that the group is operating in
an area associated with the Hells Angels, potentially putting the city
in the crossfire of a turf war.

On Oct. 29 a group of men from the Scarborough area arrived in the
city with several ounces of cocaine, marijuana, two handguns and a
submachine gun.

Farquharson can't say, with certainty, that those men are connected
with a gang.

But, he said, the large amount of drugs, coupled with the guns, is the
trademark of a criminal organization.

The point, he said, is that the city is facing gang activity from all
sides.

Public safety can't be discussed in an "either/or" capacity, Rodd
said.

Businesses and residents won't move to a city that isn't safe, he
said, and the downtown core won't thrive if it's too dangerous for
shoppers.

"Violent offences have an economic impact," he said.

Police have to hold those factions at bay, he said. They also have to
respond to each call they receive, no matter how minor.

"The community expects that from us," he said.