MONEY NEEDED TO COMBAT DRUG HOUSES

Current Funding Not Enough To Deal With Big-City Crime

WOODSTOCK - With an increase in the number of criminals migrating to Oxford
to set up grow house operations, Woodstock's mayor is pushing the province
to help cover the policing costs.

"We are having to face increased policing costs because of the export of
large criminals from big centres to our main street," said Michael Harding.
"I think the incident of grow operations is increasing and it is putting
further strain on our ability to provide policing to our community."

Citing the huge marijuana grow operation above The Gold Coin Tavern at 411
and 413 Dundas St., Harding told Premier Dalton McGuinty in an e-mail that
this type of organized crime is landing on the shoulders of local taxpayers.

"I feel it is necessary to alert the province this issue is coming to our
town and we need financial help. The bad guys involved in this grow
operation came from Toronto. The funding for the police service is to serve
our people, not organized crime coming into our jurisdiction."

Oxford Community Police officers busted the $1.6-million operation on July
1 but more than 100 hours of police work went into the investigation before
the arrests were made.

"It took us weeks just to get the search warrant to get in the door," said
OCPS Chief Ron Fraser. "Then it took another three or four officers
spending two days in the place to get all the marijuana out. Then you have
to store it, destroy it and hand everything over to seized property
management. That's a lot of time. It eats up human resources."

Fraser said the officers must deal with a large number of grow house
operations considering the size of its coverage area.

Harding recently received a response from the premier acknowledging his
concerns. The letter stated, "I assure you that your views will be taken
into consideration as we move ahead with our plan for real, positive change."

Harding said the letter brings some comfort that more will be done, but he
won't be happy until there is some financial commitment.

Fraser said the province should give a portion of the revenue accumulated
through property seized in drugs busts back to the local police forces
involved."Grow houses have a substantial amount of capital. We seize the
property and it ends up in a government account, which is then used in
grant programs. But we do a lot of work to get this propert. Why can't the
revenue come back to the police service involved? It's an integral part of
what we do."

Since divvying up seized property revenue will mean a change in
legislation, Fraser isn't expecting additional provincial funds any time soon.

"The only way it will happen quickly is if a bunch of municipalities take
the same position," he said.

Collecting funds from taxpayers for police service costs has been an
ongoing issue for OCPS.

Over the past three years, OCPS has increased their budget by as much as 16
per cent causing townships like Blandford-Blenheim and East Zorra-Tavistock
to consider switching to OPP.

As the incidents of organized crime continue to pop up in Oxford, Harding
said he is concerned the police service for local residents will slip.

"So far we have been able to keep up," said Harding, "but I am worried for
the future."