MOUNTIES WANT TO PAINT RIVERSIDE RED

Kamloops' top cop wants to extend the city's so-called "red zone" ""
parts of downtown and the North Shore from which certain criminals
are barred from being "" to include downtown's largest park.

Kamloops RCMP Supt. Yves Lacasse said he wants to see the red zone
map redrawn to include Riverside Park, noting drug deals, assaults
and other crimes have made the park apparently unsafe at certain times of day.

"We have a beautiful park, a wonderful area," Lacasse said. "Our
local citizens should be able to enjoy this park."

The red zones were first implemented in 2007, including the downtown
core on the South Shore and the Tranquille business district on the
North Shore.

Lacasse said the red-zone program is largely to credit for the
transformation of the Tranquille area in recent years, describing it
as "night and day" compared to when he first arrived in Kamloops five
years ago.

"I think you can thank the red zone for that," he said.