TACKLING THE CITY'S CRIME-DRUG PROBLEM

Study Reveals Hamilton's Rate Of Cocaine Offences Is 'Conspicuously
High' When Compared With The Rest Of Canada

It is a snapshot we've never seen before.

Rarely a day passes in this city when there isn't a media story about
crime and drugs. The links between the two are significant and
damaging, we are told again and again. Crack cocaine is a scourge
that is leading to criminal activity. But the evidence is largely
anecdotal, cops and lawyers and counsellors sharing their
experiences, their observations.

Now, for the first time, we have hard numbers.

They show that Hamilton's rate of cocaine offences -- possession,
trafficking and possession for the purpose of trafficking -- is
"conspicuously high" when compared with the average in the rest of
Canada. Nationally, there are 44 cocaine offences for every 100,000
people. Provincially, that number drops to 32. But in Hamilton, the
rate of cocaine offences is 54 per 100,000.

That property crimes, robberies and prostitution are closely tied to
substance abuse and the latter two are on the rise here. The type of
robberies that have increased most dramatically are street robberies
(like muggings and purse snatchings) and home invasions, both of
which are regarded by Hamilton police as "crimes of acquisition"
thought to have a direct correlation with problem substance abuse.
Drug users commit street robberies to get quick cash to buy more
drugs. And the homes targeted for invasions usually house grow
operations or drug dealers.

And nearly one quarter of Hamilton's known 6,600 substance users are
in conflict with the law when they are admitted for treatment.

The Spectator has been given the first look at a comprehensive
$50,000 year-long study into Substance Abuse Related Crime in
Hamilton, a 200-page document commissioned by the Hamilton Coalition
to Reduce Substance Abuse Related Crime. The study was funded by a
grant from the National Crime Prevention Strategy.

The coalition consists of the executive director of Wayside House;
Hamilton's chief of police and other officers; the president of the
Hamilton Criminal Lawyers' Association; and representatives from the
Centre for Addiction and Mental Health and Alternatives for Youth.
The coalition was formed to increase treatment for substance abusers
at risk of conflict with the law, to increase communication and
education between treatment services and the police and to improve
crime prevention and health amongst addicts.

"This study proved the long-standing belief that there is a
connection between crime and drugs," says Inspector Jamie Anderson of
the police court branch. "For so long we've been dealing with the
symptoms of the problem. Now, we hope to be able to tackle the problem itself."

Law enforcement and the courts need to understand that for many
substance abusers, "their intention isn't to commit crime, it's to
continue their addictions," says Regan Anderson, executive director
of Wayside House, the city's only residential treatment facility for
men with substance abuse problems.

Traditionally, the enforcement and judicial side of the drug issue
has worked separately from treatment, like "two solitudes," he says.

Now, through the coalition and the study, those groups are coming
together to find new "made in Hamilton" solutions.

One of the most ambitious possibilities is to have a drug treatment
court. Based on models in Toronto and Vancouver, it would work as a
diversion program, giving addicts charged with non-violent offences
the opportunity to get clean under tight supervision and to stay out of jail.

Chief Brian Mullan says the specialized court is a priority for him
because he's involved "with bringing people into the justice system."

Other suggestions include having an office for addiction counsellors
at the police station, giving the accused and their families a chance
to immediately receive help. Or even having counsellors go on raids
with police to offer help right at the scene. Addicts who are treated
are less likely to commit crimes.

Also, something as simple as having addiction and treatment experts
educate police may improve the ability of officers to recognize and
deal with drug abusers on the front lines and assist police managers
in deploying resources and preparing for changes in the local drug
culture and new trends.

Vice and drugs officers already have cards they can give out that
contain resource information about local addiction services. But the
coalition wants to improve those cards and put them in the hands of
all officers.

"If the police service can look at (substance abusers) as not being
losers, as not being a bad guy, then maybe police can help introduce
them to community resources," says Regan Anderson of Wayside House.
"If we're always arresting, convicting, incarcerating, where does the
rehabilitation come in?"

Susan Clairmont's commentary appears regularly in The Spectator.

Drug and Crime Snapshot

6,600

6,600 -- Number of substance abusers in Hamilton seeking treatment.

31.5% are females

68.5% are males

35.6% have mental health

diagnosis

40.4% have some secondary

school education

5.8% with university degrees

1,127 -- Number of people known to be addicted to crack; 504 of them
use it daily.

701 -- Number of people known to be addicted to cocaine, 259 of whom
are using it daily.

30 -- Number of people known to be addicted to heroin, 11 of whom are
using it daily.

628 -- Number of people known to be addicted to cannabis, 321 of whom
are using it daily.

3,296 -- Number of people known to be addicted to alcohol, 1,484 of
whom are using it daily.

50% -- Percentage of Hamilton Needle Exchange Program clients under age 40.

24% -- Percentage of Hamilton Needle Exchange Program clients living
in north end of Hamilton. Almost 50% of needle exchange clients live downtown.

49.4% -- Percentage of admissions to Hamilton General ER who are drunk.

7.1% -- Percentage of admissions to Hamilton General ER who have
overdosed on drugs.

1,600 -- Number of people charged with drug offences each year in Hamilton.

11% -- Percentage of homicides in Canada reported to be drug related
each year in Hamilton.

11% -- of homicides in Canada reported to be drug related.