PROGRAM TARGETS DRUGS

Powell River will join Victoria-based program to patrol area waters

Powell River's auxiliary police are launching a Coastal Watch program in the
area.

"Coastal Watch, based in Victoria, has asked auxiliary police up and down
the coast to initiate Coastal Watch in their communities," explains Powell
River Coastal Watch coordinator Maxine Gasparovic.

Auxiliary police, which will soon have seven members, work under the
auspices of the Powell River RCMP detachment. Coastal Watch is an RCMP drug
interdiction program, founded in Atlantic Canada in the early 1980s.
Originally designed to assist investigators to combat the growing number of
vessels carrying drugs arriving into Canadian waters, Coastal Watch has now
been expanded to include all crimes on or near the water.

"The primary goal of Coastal Watch is to stop motherships from unloading
drugs, like cocaine, heroin and hashish, off coast onto smaller vessels and
then dispersing their load throughout the province," says Gasparovic.

Marijuana importing is almost non-existent, she adds, but the program tries
to stop BC bud from being exported. As well, Coastal Watch will be targeting
crystal meth (methamphetamine) labs, which are increasingly being set up on
boats, says Gasparovic.

While the primary goal of the program is for drug intervention, Coastal
Watch also tries to prevent break-and-enters into cabins, drunk boating,
overfishing, illegal fishing, poaching and dumping toxic substances into the
ocean.

"We're trying to get as many individuals, such as real estate agents and ban
kers, and groups to participate in the program as possible. It deals with
the whole community, not just the boating community."

Future plans for the program include initiating dock walks throughout town.
As well, signs will be posted indicating Powell River is a Coastal Watch
community.

If any member of the public sees something suspicious on or near the water
they would like to report to the program, they can call 1.888.855.6655, 24
hours a day, seven days a week. For example, drugs are frequently wrapped up
in blue canvas and floated onto beaches. If anyone finds blue canvas on a
beach, the program would like to know about that.

Gasparovic will be making presentations to various groups and organizations
in Powell River about the program.

Anyone who is interested in learning more about Coastal Watch, or who would
like to set up a date and time for a presentation, can contact Gasparovic
through the Powell River RCMP at 604.485.6255.