N. SHORE SLAYING MAY HAVE DRUG LINK

Police have not ruled out the possibility the city's first homicide
of the year had links to the drug trade.

Kamloops RCMP operations commander Insp. Yves Lacasse said Monday the
latest in the investigation of a North Shore stabbing early Saturday
suggests the victim, 21-year-old Devin Prince, may not have been
randomly attacked.

Police initially said there were no links between the victim and the
man accused of stabbing him, but Lacasse said developments in the
case might now suggest otherwise.

"We can't rule drugs out as part of this investigation," he said.

Prince, who was known to police, died shortly after being brought to
Royal Inland Hospital after being knifed on the street near 240 Royal
Ave. around 4:20 a.m.

Michael Paul Dick, 37, is charged with Prince's second-degree murder.
He appeared in provincial court briefly Monday, but was remanded in
custody until future court dates. It's not known if or when the man
expects to seek bail.

Cpl. Scott Wilson said police located a key witness to the incident,
a young woman who saw the stabbing with sufficient detail of what
happened she was able to lead investigators through a re-enactment of
the events.

Regardless, the investigation continues, Wilson said, and the RCMP
need as much help from the public as possible.

Anyone with information about the stabbing is urged to call 828-3000,
or Crime Stoppers.

Meanwhile, police will step up patrols in the North Shore corridor to
assuage residents' concerns about the recent spate of violence in
their neighbourhood.

Saturday's was the third stabbing in the neighbourhood in as many
weeks and many in the area are understandably nervous, Wilson said.

But Wilson added nothing suggests the latest incidents are anything
more than a bad cycle. The neighbourhood is not inherently plagued by
violence and people do not need to be afraid.

Regardless, police patrols will be more visible in the coming days.

"We will look to put extra resources into the area," he said. "We
want to make this town as safe as possible."

Lacasse reiterated the comments, but said some kinds of crime are not
preventable. He urged people to call police and stay out of the way
should they see problems or confrontations between individuals.

Police will work hard to target known offenders in Kamloops
responsible for so much of the city's crime, he said.

The drug section -- soon to be bolstered by two new members -- as
well as the action response team and the property crime squad will
continue to go after those 10 per cent of individuals responsible for
90 per cent of the crime.

Lacasse said the drug trade is central to most of the crime in
Kamloops and dealers will remain a key strategic target for the RCMP.

He said police have closed down five or six crack houses this year.
In 2005, there were more than 20 known crack shacks, he said. Today,
police believe there are no more than five or six.

"We have to make it a living hell (for drug dealers) in this
community," he said.