CRACK DEALERS RELOCATE

Druggies Displaced From District Setting Up Shop in Neighbouring
Area

Drug dealers and crack houses pushed out of southeast neighbourhoods
such as Forest Lawn by an aggressive police onslaught may be setting
up shop in other areas of the city.

Since April, police officers in southeast Dist. 4 have targeted the
drug scene, wiping out almost all of the identifiable crack houses and
letting the crooks know they are not welcome.

However, in that time, other areas such as the downtown core of Dist.
1 have noticed unwelcome residents moving into the neighbourhood, said
Staff Sgt. Gary McDougall.

"Police in Dist. 4 have done a good job and have been very aggressive
toward addressing the crack problem, and as a consequence, we've seen
an increase in crack-related incidents and establishments," he said.

"These folks aren't just going to disappear."

Insp. Brian Sembo of Dist. 3 said they have also experienced a spike
in crack-related crimes.

"Where we used to have to chase one crack house out of the area a
month, now it's weekly," he said.

"My feeling is that there is some connection to the displacement from
Dist. 4."

Sembo said his officers have become more proactive.

"We were well aware there could some displacement from Dist. 4, so
what we're doing is being pro-active and targeting houses and shutting
them down early on," he said.

Police know that crack houses are usually set up in areas where they
will go undetected and to address that, Dist. 3 police, in a move
similar to a recent initiative by Dist. 4, have worked with volunteers
and city officials to force residents to clean up their yards.

Sembo said if they don't stay on top of the problem, it could easily
spiral out of control.

Staff Sgt. Shaun Gissing said Dist. 4 had 27 active crack houses in
May that police could identify.

Officers in the district response team busted the houses.When the drug
dealers moved elsewhere in the area, they busted them again.

Today, there are only about two houses operating that they know
of.

There has also been a marked decrease in the number of
break-and-enters, commercial crime and prostitution in the district.

Gissing said when they first began to target crack houses, they were
in a crisis stage that no other district had experienced.

But they are now in a position where the response team can focus on
other crimes, he said.

"We've shared our success and information on how to investigate a
crack house with neighbouring districts," he said.

"That way, if displacement takes place, they'll know how best to deal
with it."