BARRIE CRIME DOWN

But Chief Says Public Perception Is The Exact Opposite

Crime rates are falling in Barrie, but the fear of violence is on the
rise, says the city's top cop.

"The fear of crime is up as much as it's ever been," Barrie police
Chief Wayne Frechette said.

According to Statistics Canada, almost all types of crime fell in
2006 compared to 2005. The number of robberies increased nominally last year.

The use of weapons in the commission of a crime is still staggering to police.

"It's surprising how a confrontation can escalate to include the use
of weapons very quickly, and over the silliest things, like jostling
in line to get into a dance club," Frechette said.

A fight between two women on a downtown street Aug. 12 ended with one
being rushed to hospital with serious stab wounds. A female suspect
was charged.

Frechette began his career in 1968 as a Thessalon OPP constable, and
then moved to OPP headquarters, working with the interrogation,
homicide, gaming and drug units. He became Barrie's police chief in 2000.

"Most of the calls we get aren't about crime in the purest sense, but
rather barking dogs or neighbour disputes," he said. "But violence
can often be the end result of the smallest complaints. The triggers
can be silly."

Midhurst resident Rob Plunkett, a York Regional Police constable, was
killed Aug. 2 trying to arrest a man suspected of stealing vehicle
air bags. Situations like that make it much tougher to be a police
officer today.

"I'm happy to be at the twilight of my career," Frechette said. "The
one thing that hasn't changed, though, is that people are asked to
make split-second decisions on life-or-death issues."

MURDER

Four homicides were reported in Barrie last year.

Three-year-old Serena Campione and her one-year-old sister, Sophia,
were found dead in their mother's Barrie apartment Oct. 4, 2006.
Their mother, Elaine Campione, was charged with first-degree murder.
The little girls drowned to death.

"The most shocking was the death of those two young children,"
Frechette said. "(Uniformed) officers (who were first on the scene)
were very much affected by that. We have officers who for the first
time saw a dead child. Many of them have children that age."

A teenage boy was stabbed to death in Lackie's Bush on March 9, 2006.
A 16-year-old was charged with first-degree murder. There's a publication ban.

Last November, the mother of a newborn girl was charged with
first-degree murder after a yearlong investigation. The Children's
Aid Society contacted Barrie police in 2005, after a newborn child
was taken into their custody. There was concern that the suspect had
concealed the birth of its twin.

YOUTH & FEMALE CRIME

Local crime statistics show female youth crime is on the rise.

"I guess it's a generational thing, but I find that shocking,"
Frechette said, adding fights after the bars close are just as likely
to involve two women.

Nationally, youth crime (people aged 12 to 17 years old) has
increased for the first time since 2003. The rate also reflects
whether they were formally charged, or police used other means such
as a warning, caution or program referral.

The youth crime rate increased three per cent last year.

DRUGS

Cocaine and crystal methamphetamine are the two most powerful drugs
local narcotics officers deal with regularly.

"Cocaine, it has never really gone away," Frechette said. "The two
drugs which are our worst problems over the last five years are
crack, long-established here in Barrie, and crystal meth. Both are
very addictive."

Total drug crimes increased two per cent Canadawide in 2006, with
marijuana accounting for about 60 per cent of all charges.

"I'd like to see less emphasis on the use of marijuana and more on
trafficking," he said.

At the same time, cocaine offences were up 13 per cent, while other
drug charges rose by eight per cent. Cocaine offences have increased
67 per cent since 2002.

GUNS

Criminals carrying handguns is becoming more common.

"The only people who need them are police and the military,"
Frechette said. "I don't own a gun, I have one issued to me. I don't
foresee a situation where I'd go and buy a gun."

One draconian solution is an outright ban on handguns, but Frechette
says then you're punishing responsible, law-abiding citizens for
another person's wrongdoing.