HARD LINE ON DRUGS REMAINS

Enforcement Has Benefits: Police Chief

LINDSAY/OPS TWP. - A tougher stance against drugs means a spike in
drug crime statistics which started last year will continue, says the
local police chief.

The number of drug charges began to rise last fall and City of
Kawartha Lakes Police Service Chief John Hagarty said the trend will
continue as police maintain their beefed-up approach to narcotics
enforcement in Lindsay and the former Ops Township

"We will continue to see higher numbers of drug charges," he
said.

The decision to make the battle against illicit drugs a priority
resulted from his initial 90-day review of the service, Hagarty said,
when staff told him more emphasis needed to be placed there.

"It's important you listen to your front-line people," he said, noting
the benefits of increased drug enforcement. They include a reduction
in other crimes, such as break and enters, thefts, frauds and assaults
over the long term, the chief said.

"Because an addict hooked on cocaine, heroine or crystal
methamphetamine will do anything to get that drug to support that
habit," Hagarty said. "They need to commit crimes in order to get that
next fix."

And it's not just about laying charges, Hagarty said. Police also
refer families to services in the community that will help them with
their situation, he said.

Enforcement by the service's uniformed officers, criminal
investigations branch or the investigator assigned to the Kawartha
Combined Forces Drug Unit at the start of the year is not all there is
to it, Hagarty said.

"Public education is just as important," he said, noting the work of
canine unit Const. Mike Stratford and Strike and community services
officer Const. Tammy Brydon in educating youth about the perils of
drugs in area schools.

That recent approval to hire more officers from council and the police
services board is a show of support towards the enforcement effort,
Hagarty said, adding that as a police manager, it is difficult to
reallocate resources.

"Everyone in our community is expecting quality policing," he
said.

Having already seen the effect of crystal methamphetamine in his
previous posting in Stratford, Hagarty said he was better able to help
the local service get ready for its arrival.

"I had the advantage of seeing it first hand and knew we'd better
prepare for it here," he said Friday. The service made its first
significant seizure of the highly-addictive drug in its jurisdiction
on March 15.