TOWN HAS SAME DRUGS, SAME PROBLEMS AS EVERYWHERE - POLICE

The drug problem in Saugeen Shores is the same as it is in Owen Sound,
London and Toronto, say police.

Shoreline Beacon -- The drug problem in Saugeen Shores is the same as
it is in Owen Sound, London and Toronto, say police. As a ratio to the
population, there are the same numbers of drug users.

"We just don't have as many as Owen Sound because it has seven times
the population," said Sgt. Dan Rivett of Saugeen Shores Police
Service. Our local police are in touch with their counterparts across
the country and it's no different anywhere else. Investigating drug
abusers and traffickers is a part of their everyday job.

Rivett was blunt. "Yes, there's cocaine at our high school," he
said.

In the 15 years Rivett has been with this force he's seen changes not
in the number of users but in the kind of drugs being used.

"It used to be primarily marijuana," Rivett said, "but now it's hard
drugs, and the abuse of prescription drugs. And hard drugs, and
especially crystal meth, are so dangerous."

Provincewide, there have even been fatalities associated with the
manufacture of crystal meth. These are in addition to the fatal
overdoses of the drug that helped raise the number of fatalities in
the Grey-Bruce area to 15 in the past 18 months.

"We haven't seen manufacturers in Saugeen Shores yet," Rivett said.
"But we know they're coming because they're 100 kilometres to the
south and east of us. And they will come."

He emphasized that the community can help police in their effort to
curb drug use.

"People might think they're bothering us when they phone to let us
know something suspicious is going on next door," he said, "but we
appreciate it."

They used to get phone calls from pilots flying over the area who
noticed the telltale patterns of marijuana crops. Then the calls came
in about the houses with their windows covered and dryer vents
steaming 24 hours a day-the signs of a marijuana grow-op.

The basic tools for making crystal meth are a propane tank, a pail and
the privacy of a backyard shed.

There's a bigger bang for the buck for the trafficker in making meth
than dealing marijuana. It's also not uncommon for traffickers to
offer many choices for their consumers. Like others in business,
they've adopted the big-box model.

Rivett emphasized that families can help, too, by keeping up
communication with their teenagers.

"If your son or daughter stops talking and being a part of the family,
usually something isn't right," Rivett said.

If parents feel they aren't getting anywhere when they try to talk
with their children, they can approach their family doctor or student
services at the high school to learn more strategies for opening up
those important lines of communication.

The family and the community play an important role in preventing
teenagers from turning to drugs, Rivett believes.

"I'd like to see every sport in Saugeen Shores offered free of
charge," he said. "Kids need stuff to do, and if finances are
preventing them from joining hockey, perhaps we'd save more money in
the long run if we supported them in sports."

He noted that the number of hours police need to work up a search
warrant can bring its cost up to $10,000.

In the last three years police have been involved in two major drug
operations, involving many warrants and lots of time. There are the
ongoing, day-to-day costs as well.

Education is another key component for the police force. Officers take
courses to stay current with the drugs in circulation and to learn
specific behavioural signs.