SCHOOL RAIDS NET WEAPONS

Drugs In All Schools

Marijuana, machetes, baseball bats and tire irons have been confiscated by
Peel Regional Police during recent raids on Mississauga high schools
designed to curb drug use and violence.

St. Joseph's Secondary School is the latest school to be hit by officers
from the Neighbourhood Policing Unit (NPU) this week after police arrested
seven teens and laid 10 charges related to drugs and weapons during a
two-day blitz. One teen was charged with assaulting police.

Staff Sergeant Mark Armstrong, head of 11 Division's NPU, said police
received "intelligence" that there was drug trafficking at the school.

When officers approached two teens in a car at the school, Armstrong said,
they found they were armed with a machete and a baseball bat.

"It's obviously a concern to us and to the community at large when these
kinds of things are being brought to school," he said. "It's also
disturbing that we're finding students openly smoking marijuana outside of
schools and then going back to class." Last month, police

raided Erindale Secondary School and made seven drug-related arrests.
Armstrong said most of the people being charged are aged 14-17.

Police have also laid several trespassing charges this year as "some
students are coming to other schools to purchase their drugs," said Armstrong.

Armstrong said he is hopeful police will conduct two raids a month in the
new year.

"It's not a problem in just one school. It's safe to say drug use is a
problem at all high schools," Armstrong said. "Without the co-operation of
school staff and administration, these projects wouldn't work. It's part of
our mandate to have an increased presence of officers in the schools."

Police will raid another high school as early as today, Armstrong added.

Bruce Campbell, manager of community relations with the Dufferin Peel
Catholic District School Board, acknowledged that there is drug use in high
schools, but maintains it's not widespread.

"Are there are a small amount of people in our schools doing what they
shouldn't be? Absolutely," he said.

"Our schools are just a microcosm of the greater community out there.

Things that happen in other slices of society also happen at schools."

Last year's annual Peel police report showed violent crime in schools was
down 2.8 per cent from 2002.