HOW ARE WE DEALING WITH INCREASED CRIME?

Rapid growth in drug-driven, illegal activity cause for concern

As grows the city, so grows a whole bunch of other aspects -- more people,
more businesses, more jobs, more schools, more self-help and volunteer
programs.

More crime.

And, as pointed out at two crime prevention meetings in Grande Prairie, more
law enforcement personnel is not going to keep a lid on criminal activities
or prevent their expansion.

Nevertheless, citizen input and the expressed concerns that the city is
increasingly less safe, will help devise a strategy against crime. RCMP
Insp. Bryon Hodgkin said people's suggestions, coupled with those from
social agencies, will help form the basis of a formal crime prevention
program that will eventually be put to city council for consideration.

It's not clear at this point what can be done. As Mayor Wayne Ayling points
out, Grande Prairie's development has its pluses -- more people, more
businesses, and a prosperous economy -- but hand-in-hand with that is the
minus of increasing criminal activity.

He says the city is no worse in this respect than any other community of the
same size.

The meetings set up by the Mounties to get insight from citizens on crime
didn't attract as many people as anticipated -- some 50 in total in two
sessions -- but they laid the foundation for combatting the issue.

And issue it is. Several people said they are fearful of their personal
safety, even in their own homes, and are scared to go out at night.

They singled out three factors: Substance abuse, be it drugs or alcohol;
community connectiveness, which presumably means Grande Prairians are
increasingly strangers to each other; and a lack of family support coupled
with family breakdowns, which is where the social agencies come into play.

The primary factor, however, is drug-driven crime; break-ins and thefts to
steal property that can be sold or traded for drugs. The RCMP say B&Es
doubled between 2002 and 2003; robberies almost doubled; and property crimes
such as petty theft and car theft rose 27 per cent.

Those statistics were brought home as the meetings were being held. A drug
bust last week seized $20,000 worth of marijuana and crack cocaine plus
$4,000 in cash at a hotel. In a separate event, police found $27,000 in cash
they believe is the proceeds of criminal activity during a vehicle check.

They are just two of a growing litany of drug-related incidents. And it's
not just Grande Prairie; busts have increasingly become commonplace in
places such as Fort St. John, Dawson Creek and even smaller communities in
the Peace Country.

Bolstered police forces, even focusing their efforts on these activities,
can't be everywhere at once.

Vigilant citizens can be, as an anti-crime adjunct, but only if they are as
concerned as they say they are.