'LARGE PERCENTAGE' OF PROPERTY CRIME CAUSED BY CRYSTAL METH: RCMP

The Ridge Meadows RCMP commended council for renewing its commitment
to the Maple Ridge crystal meth task force earlier this week, but said
the community still has a long way to go in tackling the drug problem.

Speaking to council this week, Insp. Janice Armstrong noted the drug
has come to the "forefront" lately, with more cases surfacing in the
community.

But with the implementation of the Rehab on Demand program this
Monday, Armstrong suggested the rate of crystal meth addiction could
decline in the future.

Mayor Gordon Robson asked if crystal meth addiction accounts for the
vast majority of crimes committed in Maple Ridge.

But Armstrong said the RCMP didn't have precise figures, partly
because suspects are not automatically tested for drugs when they are
arrested for criminal offences.

However, Armstrong conceded crystal meth use contributes to crime in
Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows.

"A large percentage of the people we deal with are contending with
crystal meth," Armstrong asserted, noting a large majority of people
arrested for property offences are using crystal meth.

As in many municipalities in the Lower Mainland, Armstrong said Maple
Ridge is also contending with a large number of grow-ops.

"It's a very lucrative business that's alive and well in our
community," Armstrong remarked to council.

But Armstrong insisted the local detachment is making headway, with 47
busts so far this year seizing more than 12,000 plants, and four
grow-ops shut down in Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows this week alone.