NEIGHBOURS TAKE A STAND AGAINST GROW-OPS

A program designed to spot and report possible grow-ops in different
neighbourhoods will be available to those neighbours who wish to implement
it. Three public forums will be taking place over the next two months to
provide the public with more information about the program and how to spot
possible grow operations.

"It goes hand in hand with Block Watch. It is a new program that crime
prevention is taking on," says Constable Kurt Bosnell, the liaison officer
for the Grow Watch program and part of the general investigation section
for the Hope RCMP.

As part of the Grow Watch program the residents become the eyes and ears of
the community and are trained to know any key factors to help identify a
possible grow-op.

The community forums will take place at the District of Hope hall at 7:00
p.m. on Thursday Oct. 27. Tuesday Nov. 6, Thursday Nov. 24 and Tuesday Dec. 8.

"It took us a while to get everything ready but it is really good. We have
the support of Crime Prevention, the District of Hope and the Hope RCMP.
The forums are open to everybody as we'd like to educate the community and
hopefully get people interested in the program," says Jackie Remple the
co-coordinator for the Block Watch program in Hope.

Some of the speakers at the forum include Constable Bosnell and Fire Chief
Tom De Sorcy. Speakers will present their experience regarding grow
operations in the area and offer clues on how to spot a possible operation.

"Constable Bosnell's power point presentation is very powerful as he has
compiled photographs of the grow-op busts he has made in Hope. It is
surprising how normal many of the homes look but then it becomes rather
frightening when you see all the dangers associated with the operations,"
says Remple.

As for the training end of the program it comes included with the Block
Watch training so neighbourhoods become a block watch as well as a grow watch.

"The program is a preventative approach to keep the grow operations out of
a neighbourhood and if one does sneak in the neighbours know the kinds of
signs that indicate a possible operation," says Bosnell. "Grow-ops are
definitely a problem in Hope. In the past five years I have seen the
numbers steadily increase but this is a creative way to address the problem."

Block seven will be the first grow watch/block watch and will shortly be
receiving the necessary training.

"The program also brings your neighbours closer together, it really does.
And, the program will help deter people who want to set up a grow-op. I
will feel a lot safer if my neighbour sells their home that the message is
there that we look out for one another," says Remple.

One of the major driving factors in bringing this program to Hope is that
by acting as a deterrent it assists in keeping the neighbourhoods a lot safer.

In addition to the usual dangers associated with grow-ops the possibility
of grow rips is also there and adds an additional level of safety issues
for neighbourhoods.

'Grow rips' are when people go into a house that has a grow-op and steal
the plants instead of producing their own, says Bosnell. "Grow Watch is an
opportunity for the citizens of Hope to take back their neighbourhood and
have some control," says Bosnell.

For more information contact the Hope Crime Prevention office at 604 869 5900.