CITY HIRING MORE POLICE

Two New Officers Will Tackle Drugs, Youth Crime

City council has approved the hiring of two police officers under a
provincial officer partnership program.

The two officers will tackle the issues of youth and organized crime,
marijuana grow-ops and methamphetamine labs.

As part of the program, the province will fund up to 50 per cent of
salary, benefits and overtime for the new officers, up to $35,000 per
officer, per year.

The youth officer is already in place, having started patrolling
local high schools earlier this month. The other officer will work in
drug enforcement, a department that police Chief Gerry McEwin said
has its resources stretched thin.

"It's the officers that remain in the platoons that are forced to
pick up the slack," McEwin told council. One of the new officers will
go straight into the platoons to fill the position left open when the
youth officer started the new position.

So far this year, Stratford police have laid 20 charges related to
meth use, compared to just two charges in 2003 and eight in 2004.

Mayor Dan Mathieson said Stratford needs to step up drug-related
enforcement and he hopes the OPP will follow suit.

Coun. Cheryl Ruby, who sits on the police services board, said meth
has become "a very severe problem" and Stratford has changed over the
last 15 years.

Agreeing with Ruby, Coun. Sam Dinicol said meth abuse in the area was
a "well-documented problem." Coun. Howard Famme said the safety of
citizens is paramount.

The initial motion was passed while sitting as the finance and labour
relations committee, but was ratified by council at the end of the
meeting as the application deadline for the program is the end of this month.