CITY WRONG TO REFUSE POLICE FUNDING

Stratford's police drug-enforcement unit drug bust of Jan. 30 was
good news in the battle against ever-increasing crime and vandalism
in Perth County. Police Chief Jerry McEwin and his force are to be
congratulated.

A quick but incomplete glance through the local papers revealed a few
incidents which helps describe the magnitude of the problem facing
our community.

On Dec. 2, 2005, Perth OPP stopped a car driving 116 km/h in an
80-km/h zone. In the trunk were found cocaine, marijuana, ecstasy
pills, hash oil, cash and a handgun.

On Dec. 19, 2005, traces of marijuana were found in St. Marys Secondary School.

Over the last weekend in January, Perth County OPP found open liquor
inside eight vehicles, seven of which involved underage drinkers.

Mailboxes were smashed at several locations including Nithburg, the
southwest end of Stratford and Fullarton, Blanshard and Ellice wards.

A wonderful 1965 musical, The Sound of Music, is introduced with the
song The Hills Are Alive with the Sound of Music. In our non-musical
real world, our highways are alive with the sound of traffic ... drug
traffic. How else do these criminals transport a load of drugs from
Toronto or Hamilton or Kitchener, etc. It appears too that most of
these suppliers carry guns, the better to enforce their contracts or
intimidate their prey.

And let's not forget the increasingly pervasive spread of crystal meth.

We have good news and bad news about our problem.

The good news is that the provincial government is offering partial
funding for four additional front-line police officers to help
confront the problem.

The bad news is that our city council, ever on guard for the
taxpayers' well-being, is ignoring the well-being of Stratford's
young people and lamenting that the city cannot afford to tackle the
problem and that the police department must do without the tools
necessary to fight this modern scourge.

It's been my observation over the years that Stratford councils have
nearly always under-funded the police department, relying on present
staff to pick up the slack. How do you think Perth County has
acquired the reputation as the crystal meth capital of Ontario?

One more point. As Toronto tackles its criminal gangs, guns and drug
problems, those involved will be seeking softer targets in places
such as ours. They will be glad to learn that Stratford may be
letting down its guard because it cannot "afford" to give our police
proper funding. Multimillion-dollar recreation centre anyone?

To hold the police department budget to a five per cent increase in
the name of conformity to an arbitrary budgetary goal would be
irresponsible, given today's growing societal problems.

L.H. Wilson

Stratford