DRUG ABUSE ISSUES LEAD POLICE TO DEAL WITH OTHER CRIMES

The notion that drug offences don't affect the general population is
a bit of a myth, shows new information that ties property crime and
drug offenders, police say.

People think that it's just a drug issue and it doesn't affect anyone
else," said Const. Mike Dunn, a member of the Kelowna RCMP's downtown
enforcement unit. "The drug issue exacerbates, if I can use that
term, crimes against property."

Drug users go through a continuous cycle of needing money for drugs
and they often break into cars and homes and steal items that they
call sell for cash, Dunn said.

The officer made the comments as he presented further details about
the Kelowna RCMP's latest crackdown on drug transactions downtown,
called E-Postdate III.

During the investigation, which took place last month, officers
observed 19 drug transactions and have secured charges against 17
people. Two have not yet been arrested. Those arrested ranged in age
from 21 to 73, with the average age being 38. The average number of
convictions those 17 people had was 22.6.

Of note, said Dunn, was that three quarters of those people have a
previous criminal history of crimes against property, 70 per cent had
a history of crimes against people, and a whopping 94.1 per cent had
a history of non-compliance convictions, such as breach of conditions.

Dunn acknowledges that drug crime downtown affects how people view
the area of Kelowna, but says it is still a great part of the city.

It's still a safe area," he said.

He said officers are doing the best they can with their resources to
deal with the issue, but says police are just part of the puzzle when
it comes to dealing with people with drug addiction issues.

He says it's important to deal with the underlying issues those
people have, if they are willing, and highlights the work of the
community justice program, which was behind the recently started
community court, as one way to change how the community responds to drug issues.