COPS BATTLE CRYSTAL METH

The province's top drug cop says law enforcement has "stepped up" it's
battle on crystal methamphetamine.

"When crack cocaine started surfacing in the late '80s in the [United]
States, we - law enforcement - were pretty na=C3=AFve," said Cpl.
Scott Rintoul, drug-awareness officer for the RCMP. "We thought it
wouldn't come to Canada.

"It's a Miami drug, it's not going to come here, and now it's the No.
1 drug of choice in many communities. . . . We're not making the same
mistake with [crystal meth]."

On Tuesday, the Ministry of Health Services released an integrated
strategy to deal with rising use of crystal meth.

It brings together six provincial ministries in an effort to raise
awareness of the drug, reduce harm to users, as well as reduce crystal
meth use and supply.

Rintoul said the RCMP has been warning about the drug for several
years and is pleased there is now the "political will" to deal with
it. The RCMP has a five-person full-time unit that will work with
Health Canada chemists to shut down meth labs.

The team operates out of Vancouver and is on-call throughout the
province to assist other detachments dealing with the often toxic lab
environments.

Internally, "we're doing a ton of education within law-enforcement
agencies with respect to the drug."

Rintoul's office has recently prepared a chemical drug manual for
first responders - police, fire, ambulance. The manual, which is being
translated into French prior to national release in December, deals
with crystal meth.