CITY DRUG CRIME JUMPS

Drug offences skyrocketed into triple figures during March but RCMP
insist it's because crime busting has been stepped up in all levels of
the trade.

"We're happy to be increasing our effectiveness at dealing with drugs.
It involves such a variety of criminal involvement from organized
crime to street level offences," said Red Deer city RCMP Insp. Peter
Calvert.

"The better handle we can get on it will have a cascading effect into
other areas."

Senior local Mounties told Red Deer Policing Committee members Tuesday
night that total reports of drug offences were up 218 per cent
compared to the same month in 2003, and 81 per cent over the first
quarter of 2003.

Calvert said the stats are partly a result of local Mounties changing
their drug unit into the broader and more effective Street Crimes Unit.

"The officers are focusing not only on drugs but on some of the
peripheral crimes associated with it," said Calvert. "That alone will
generate a lot more charges related to drugs."

Tuesday's stats also show that crime is up in general across the city.

The total Criminal Code caseloads jumped a whopping 24 per cent
compared to March of last year, even though reported crime was only up
three per cent for the first three months of 2004.

Calvert said the biggest increases of crime in the city last month
were in the areas of assault, break and enters, and thefts from motor
vehicles.

The good news part of the crime statistics story is that incidents of
sexual assault were down 50 per cent in March when compared to the
same month last year, and down 52 per cent compared to the same
three-month period of last year.