A FRANK CHAT ABOUT DRUGS AND KIDS

Const. Gaby Irving has a tough job.

Not only must she, for one whole hour, keep the attention of young people
more used to the fast-paced video culture, but she often speaks about the
life on the margins of society -- to children who've seen too little and
others who've seen too much.

Irving is a 24-year veteran of the Winnipeg Police Service and, for the
last five years, has been a member of the school resource unit, covering
more than 40 schools in the River East Transcona School Division and some
Winnipeg Division schools.

She speaks to students on such varied topics as bullying, drugs, internet
safety and even careers in the police force.

It's Friday and Irving is discussing the ills of drug-abuse to a group of
Elmwood High School students.

"When I pulled up, one (student) asked me, 'Who are you arresting today?'
And I said, 'No one,'" Irving says with a chuckle.

This is what her job is about: bridging gaps, challenges stereotypes about
police and connecting with students.

The 11 students in her session are in Grade 7 and considered "high-risk."

As soon as they enter the classroom and see Const. Irving, the kids start
asking her to show them her gun, flashlight, handcuffs and then one student
asks if she has pepper spray.

Yes, she answers, to which the boy then asks what it feels like to get sprayed.

"You ever get shampoo or soap in your eyes?" Irving asks the group. "Well,
it's a gazillion times worse than that."

The atmosphere is comfortable, the students are paying attention and
they're actively participating.

But there's still a sort of disconnect.

The students look just like everyone else in the school, stylish in their
sports clothing, but the questions and statements they express are almost
unreal.

"Are little kids allowed to shoot guns if they have a licence," asks one
boy, to which Const. Irving says yes, as long as it's at a shooting club
and there is adult supervision at all times.

"I shot a 20-gauge (shotgun) when I was young," says another youth who gets
no shocked looks from classmates.

A short time later, Irving asks what is the most commonly-used drug, to
which she gets quick responses, "marijuana," "pot," "coke," and "cigarettes."

The answer is alcohol and as the students say a collective "yeah, I knew
that," they're shown a picture of a small, white-walled room.

As soon as Irving asks what that room is, a boy correctly answers "the
drunk tank."

Const. Irving warns the students that you can never know where illegal
drugs come from, how pure they are, how they've been cut and with what,
and, most importantly, how they've been transported.

"Why would you smoke something that's been in someone's arse?"

Irving finishes her talk with a video of a woman coming off of "crystal
meth," a drug that's seen a surge in Winnipeg.

It's awful; the woman has no control over her body, she spasms, she walks
around with no purpose, her eyes completely roll back, her mouth hangs open.

It's a ravaged sight the students won't soon forget and Irving hopes will
deter them from doing the same.

For Wanda Tawkin, a facilitator with the department of justice's Choices
program, who organized the session, it's all about the power of knowledge.
"The more informed they are, the more positive choices they'll make," she
said. "It's amazing; they'll say, 'I want to be a police officer.'"

Const. Irving says that's the rewarding part. She remembers when a young
girl at Valley Gardens Junior High chose her as having been a positive
influence.

"It made me cry," says Irving.

"This girl chose to pick me."