News (Media Awareness Project) - CN BC: Arrest Rate For Drug Crimes More Than Doubles In Surrey |
| Title: | CN BC: Arrest Rate For Drug Crimes More Than Doubles In Surrey |
| Published On: | 2004-03-17 |
| Source: | Surrey Leader (CN BC) |
| Fetched On: | 2008-01-18 18:18:34 |
ARREST RATE FOR DRUG CRIMES MORE THAN DOUBLES IN SURREY
The drug crime arrest rate in Surrey has more than doubled, according
to a just-released survey of police arrest reports by the Canadian
Centre for Justice Statistics (CCJS), a division of Statistics Canada.
A Surrey RCMP spokesman says the hike is not the bad news it appears,
but is rather the result of stepped-up enforcement.
According to the figures, Surrey has the fastest rising drug crime
arrest rate among major Canadian cities, reporting a 114 per cent hike
from 1998 to 2002 (from 247 incidents per 100,000 people in 1998 to
531 in 2002).
Surrey RCMP Const. Tim Shields says beefed-up foot patrols which
started in 1998 have produced an increase in arrests and those
translate into higher drug crime statistics.
"The increase is in direct correlation to the increase in street-level
police enforcement," Shields said Monday.
He noted the force has currently assigned 10 officers to foot and
bicycle patrols in Whalley, which has the highest drug offence rate in
Surrey.
"We are now starting to see a slight decline in the number of
street-level drug seizures, especially in the Whalley area, because
the enforcement is working," Shields told The Leader.
In 2003, Surrey RCMP assigned 20 officers to a full-time crackdown on
indoor marijuana grow ops that is averaging almost one takedown a day,
something Shields expects will produce another marked increase in
arrest statistics when the next survey is conducted.
Other major Canadian cities reported less substantial drug crime
increases than Surrey during the same 1998-to-2002 period, with
Calgary posting the second highest increase of 76 per cent (from 117
per 100,000 in 1998 to 206 in 2002).
Vancouver's drug crime rate rose 33 per cent (from 353 per 100,000 to
468), and the Toronto rate rose 23 per cent (from 172 per 100,000 to
211).
The CCJS study reports that the rate of drug offences has begun to
rise in most regions of Canada after a period of decline during the
1980s and early 1990s - fuelled by an increase in marijuana-related
charges.
The drug crime arrest rate in Surrey has more than doubled, according
to a just-released survey of police arrest reports by the Canadian
Centre for Justice Statistics (CCJS), a division of Statistics Canada.
A Surrey RCMP spokesman says the hike is not the bad news it appears,
but is rather the result of stepped-up enforcement.
According to the figures, Surrey has the fastest rising drug crime
arrest rate among major Canadian cities, reporting a 114 per cent hike
from 1998 to 2002 (from 247 incidents per 100,000 people in 1998 to
531 in 2002).
Surrey RCMP Const. Tim Shields says beefed-up foot patrols which
started in 1998 have produced an increase in arrests and those
translate into higher drug crime statistics.
"The increase is in direct correlation to the increase in street-level
police enforcement," Shields said Monday.
He noted the force has currently assigned 10 officers to foot and
bicycle patrols in Whalley, which has the highest drug offence rate in
Surrey.
"We are now starting to see a slight decline in the number of
street-level drug seizures, especially in the Whalley area, because
the enforcement is working," Shields told The Leader.
In 2003, Surrey RCMP assigned 20 officers to a full-time crackdown on
indoor marijuana grow ops that is averaging almost one takedown a day,
something Shields expects will produce another marked increase in
arrest statistics when the next survey is conducted.
Other major Canadian cities reported less substantial drug crime
increases than Surrey during the same 1998-to-2002 period, with
Calgary posting the second highest increase of 76 per cent (from 117
per 100,000 in 1998 to 206 in 2002).
Vancouver's drug crime rate rose 33 per cent (from 353 per 100,000 to
468), and the Toronto rate rose 23 per cent (from 172 per 100,000 to
211).
The CCJS study reports that the rate of drug offences has begun to
rise in most regions of Canada after a period of decline during the
1980s and early 1990s - fuelled by an increase in marijuana-related
charges.
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