DRUGS FUEL HIKE IN AREA CRIME

While The National Rate Is Down Three Per Cent, It's Up Nine Per Cent
Around Here.

Crystal meth may be the drug of choice around Stratford but it barely
registers in St. Thomas, the deputy chief of the Elgin County city's
police department said yesterday.

Crack cocaine has been fuelling the local crime rate for the past 18
months, Darry Pinnell said.

"When crack arrived on the scene, things started to heat up. It
consumes a lot of our investigative time and resources," Pinnell
said. "If we had 10 more officers working on drug investigations,
they'd all be busy."

The local connection between drugs and other crimes reflects what's
happening in other urban centres, but the differences between St.
Thomas and Stratford with respect to the drug of choice illustrates
there's more to crime statistics than meets the eye, Pinnell said.

Statistics Canada reported this week the crime rate in the census
area that includes London, St. Thomas, Strathroy and Middlesex County
leaped nine per cent last year while it dipped three per cent across
the nation.

Lumping the rates together skews local conditions, Pinnell said.

Communities such as London, St. Thomas, Strath-roy-Caradoc and Aylmer
may be close geographically, but they all have issues particular to
their communities, he said.

Violent crime actually dropped in St. Thomas in 2006 -- with 305
incidents compared to 332 the year before -- and the overall crime
rate was only marginally higher, up just 1.5 per cent.

But St. Thomas had three murders/attempted murders last year compared
to none in 2005, Pinnell said.

"Many of our violent incidents are attributable to crack cocaine as
well as the proliferation of marijuana grow houses," he said.

Drug occurrences rose 20 per cent in St. Thomas to 102 last year, he added.

The main motive for burglaries and robberies in the city continues to
be money for drugs, the deputy chief said.

Between Jan. 1, 1999, and yesterday, 33 marijuana grow operations
have been investigated in St. Thomas.

Guns, knives and other weapons are often found at drug locations, Pinnell said.

"People involved in drugs often have weapons to protect themselves
and their products."

Local teens and 20-somethings who use drugs tend to favour marijuana
and club drugs such as ecstasy, Pinnell said.

Crack users tend to be older, in their 30s, he said, adding "it's
very addictive and devastating. It destroys their lives. They lose everything."