POLICE TIE METH ADDICTION TO LOCAL CRIME RATES

Police say crystal meth still has a grip on the region and victims of
crime are paying the price.

Police in southwestern Grey County arrested and charged a 40-year-old
man this week in connection to a series of crimes they say were linked
to his addiction to crystal meth.

The West Grey man, who police say was found to be in possession of a
stolen truck, allegedly broke into a home on Christmas Day, swiped a
storage tank from a construction site, attempted to steal gasoline
from cars and is suspected of stealing cash on Jan. 2.

"He was involved in five different incidents during the period from
Dec. 25 up until the day before yesterday. And that was one
individual," Det-Sgt. Jeff Beselaere, head of West Grey Police
Service's crime unit, said Thursday.

The crime spree, he said, is one example of the damage caused by meth
addiction and proof the drug still has a grip on the region.

Meth users are known to commit crimes, mostly theft-related, with the
goal of acquiring money to buy their next fix.

Southern Grey and Bruce counties has the unwelcome reputation of being
a hot spot in Ontario for crystal meth use.

However, for the first time, there are some signs that the drug's
prevalence in the region could be on the decline.

Hanover officials, for example, say new information suggests the
number of meth users is starting to go down in their community.

Police in other areas of southern Grey-Bruce aren't so
sure.

West Grey police and the Ontario Provincial Police, which has
jurisdiction over much of southern Grey-Bruce, say use of the drug
appears to be, at the very least, consistent.

"I'm certainly not seeing a decrease in it," Beselaere said, while
admitting it is difficult to know or track how many crimes are linked
to meth.

"How do you know that the incident was related to meth unless the
person that you arrested admits to it? Unless you find actual meth on
that individual?" he said.

Sgt. Dave Rektor of the Western Region OPP said current information
from drug enforcement officers in Grey- Bruce indicates that crystal
meth use and trafficking has "been consistent" over the past year, but
the use of the drug appears to be on the rise among area youth.

He said the production of meth in Grey-Bruce appears to be decreasing,
as crystal meth is more often produced in labs in larger urban centres.

"It seems to have moved from the counties to the cities," he
said.

Crystal meth, also known as ice, glass, tina or speed, is a powerful
stimulant that affects the central nervous system.

It's highly addictive, cheap and easy to produce in homemade labs
using widely available products such as cough, cold and allergy
medicines, rubbing alcohol, iodine, starter fluid, gas additives,
drain cleaner, lithium batteries, rock salt and matchbooks.

In response to serious concerns related to crystal meth use in Grey-
Bruce, the two counties, along with social services, health,
addiction, police and other agencies, joined together in 2009 to
create a task force aimed at combating the problem.

A report, written earlier that year, indicated a significant increase
in the number of people with an addiction to the drug in Grey-Bruce
that were presenting to local courts and service agencies. The age of
users was also decreasing.

The problem is believed to be most prevalent in the Walkerton,
Hanover, Durham, Chesley and Kincardine areas of Grey-Bruce, the
report said.

Terry Sanderson, co-chairman of the Grey Bruce Crystal Methamphetamine
Task Force, said the region is as "busy as most areas, if not more
so," when it comes to crystal meth use.

Police in West Grey, which includes Durham and borders Hanover, say
crystal meth is currently linked to more crimes than prescription
drugs, cocaine or hallucinogens. Marijuana is the only illegal drug
that is linked to more crime.

Crystal meth use continues to be a serious concern in neighbouring
Hanover, which the town's mayor called a "hot spot" at a Grey County
council meeting this week.

However, politicians and the community's police department believe
they are making some gains.

"We still have a concern. We still have meth use in this community.
But we do believe that we're starting to make a turn," said Hanover
Police Service Insp. Chris Knoll.

The department has developed a "watch list" of known traffickers and
users who "frequent or live within the town of Hanover," he said. The
list now includes the names of about 150 people that police "track,
monitor and focus" its enforcement efforts on.

"The majority of these people are currently either incarcerated,
before the courts on charges or serving some form of sentence in the
community," Knoll said.

He said the "watch list" does not appear to be growing in number and
there is "no evidence" that Hanover is home to any meth labs "at this
time.

"The sources of methamphetamine appear to be from larger urban areas
within Ontario."

He said the number of youths addicted to meth appears to be on the
decline and break-ins to homes and businesses was cut in half from
2010 "when methamphetamine was at its highest point in this area."

"This reduction is significant because this tells us that we have been
directing our efforts consistently on the people who are committing
crimes of this nature usually to support a drug addiction," he said.

Hanover Mayor Kathi Maskell, a member of the regional meth task force,
said efforts will continue in the community to "make it very clear
that meth is not welcomed here."