GROWING CONCERNS OVER POT

A Mission woman says she's tried several times in recent months to
report a marijuana growing operation next door, but police refuse to
listen because she wants to remain anonymous.

"Carol," who asked that her real name not be used in this article for
fear of retribution from the growers, says it's "painfully obvious"
her neighbours are harvesting pot.

"They just planted, as far as I know. They're still planting right
now," said Carol on Wednesday, watching the men through the window of
her Third Avenue home. "These are the guys that come and seed them and stuff.

"Their back gate is about eight feet from my bedroom window," added
Carol. "At 3 o'clock in the morning when they're hauling out bags . .
. what is it, laundry?"

Mission RCMP Insp. Pat Walsh doesn't doubt there's a grow op next to Carol.

The fact is, he says, police currently have a huge list of grow ops
that they've yet to take down. Walsh says many of those operations
were reported by people who gave police their name, which he says
makes it easier for officers to get a warrant to bust the house in question.

"Those [cases], when people give us their name, we act on in a
prioritized fashion - particularly when we are able to use their
evidence to support the search warrant," said Walsh. "We can't use
someone who doesn't want to give us their name to get a search warrant."

Walsh says officers are currently dismantling more than one grow op
per week [see fact box].

"We're running at capacity in respect to our ability to take these
things down at the moment," said Walsh.

Carol's concern is that before police bust the grow op next door, it
could cause a blaze and catch her home on fire. Or worse, thieves
looking to steal the pot may raid her house instead.

"It's scary," said Carol, who is married and has three kids. "I'm not
someone with nothing better to do [than report grow ops]. If that
home caught fire and an ember fell on my roof, then my family would
lose our home or even our lives as a result."

Carol added that it's "crazy" she needs to give her name to police to
have the grow op next door put further up on the list.

She doesn't want to give officers her name because "everyone knows
that drugs equals gangs and dangerous people. I don't want to get
shot or something."

Walsh responded by saying, "I understand some fear or concern on the
part of these people [who want to remain anonymous]. The bottom line
is I have yet to see anybody take action against their neighbour for
reporting a grow op.

"These guys have more worries [than that]. They're worried about
competition and the bad guys with guns kicking in their door and
stealing their dope."