PORT HOPE TAKES TOUGH STAND ON DRUGS

PORT HOPE - Those who carve out their livelihood in Port Hope's illegal
drug trade better be watching their backs, says Port Hope's police chief.

Since early spring, Port Hope Police Constable Mike Powell has been
assigned to the Kawartha Combined Forces Drug Unit, which includes officers
from the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP), the Cobourg Police Service and
the Peterborough Lakefield Police Service, says Chief Ron Hoath. The
squad's sole focus is cracking down on drugs and the people who sell them.
Like every other community across the country, Port Hope has its share of
drug dealers. However, the problem is on the rise and Chief Hoath says he
felt is was high time to take a pro-active stance in the fight against drugs.

"We felt we had to do more," he says. "We need to take a strong stand, nab
the drugs from the source to get these drugs off our streets.

Const. Powell's co-operative presence on the drug unit squad offers an
up-close-and-personal Port Hope spin to cracking down on local well-known
drug dealers, says the chief.

There are plenty of drugs out on the streets of Port Hope, he explains.
Crack cocaine is very popular and ecstasy is quite common as well as softer
drugs such as marijuana and hash. Although crystal methamphetamine, popular
in larger centres, is not yet a local problem, Chief Hoath expects it is
only a matter of time before it becomes commonly available on local streets.

Many of the problems police deal with on a daily basis are substance-abuse
related.

"When you look at vandalism and break and enters, alcohol and/or drugs tend
to be the common thread," he says.

Police are serious about coming down hard and heavy on the local drug
traffic, he adds.

"If you deal drugs in Port Hope, expect police to make your lives as
miserable and unbearable as possible," he says. "If you deal drugs here,
you can expect to go to jail."

Chief Hoath says the force is aiming to make a Port Hope officer on the
combined drug squad a permanent fixture. This request will be included in
the proposed 2006 policing budget, currently in the planning stages. Budget
talks are slated to begin at the September meeting of the Port Hope Police
Services Board.