COPS NOT ADHERING TO OVERDOSE POLICY

An advocate for drug users says she's heard from addicts that some police
officers are continuing to attend drug overdose calls, despite a new policy
to discontinue the practice.

Ann Livingston, project coordinator for the Vancouver Area Network of Drug
Users (VANDU), said addicts are still afraid to call 911 if someone
overdoses because they don't want to be hassled or taken to jail by police.

"When you get drug users together, they'll say things like this, 'Don't
just call 911, if you can revive the guy, do it, because he might have
warrants for his arrest.' That's crazy, but I know why they're doing it."

Last November, police agreed to only respond to drug overdoses if they're
fatal, or if public safety is endangered. Drug overdose deaths reportedly
dropped by six per cent after police in South Australia implemented the
same policy. The theory is that addicts are more likely to call 911 if they
don't have to worry about facing a drug charge.

Vancouver police Insp. Ken Frail, a 10-year veteran of the Downtown
Eastside, said one reason officers may still be turning up at overdoses is
that the information is broadcast over police radios that an ambulance is
en route. "Depending on the location of where the overdose is, there's
nothing that prevents a police officer from stopping by to make sure the
crew is OK, or we may be familiar with an area that's particularly
dangerous, so we'll attend."

The goal is not to attend "routine" overdoses, which means ones that don't
involve weapons, screaming or yelling or fights, said Frail, adding
officers are still being educated about the new policy. "It will take a
while-that we don't get rushing to every overdose call.

"It's a change in our culture, and it's a change in the culture on the
street. Let's put it this way, everyone wants to point the finger at us,
and say we attend overdose calls and lay charges. I have not found a police
officer who has ever laid a charge at an overdose call. So who's got the
misperception?"

Frail said it's too early to tell if the new policy is making a difference.
"But I can tell you when this was discussed four years ago, this was kind
of like a crazy notion. Now it's well accepted by seasoned police officers
as a common sense thing to do."

Five more people died of drug overdoses in Vancouver last year than in
2002, but fatalities are nowhere near the rates they were during the
epidemic in the 1990s. Last year's 54 deaths in the city were significantly
down from the 191 recorded in 1998, according to statistics released by the
B.C. Coroners' Service.

Across the province, 172 people died last year of illicit drug use, down
from 417 in 1998. Of the 172 who died, 35 were female and 137 were male.
Frail credits the work done by a number of agencies for the decline in
deaths, including street nurses, paramedics, community organizations and
police cracking down on drug dealers, along with the opening of a
supervised injection site.

"There's a whole mix down here, and it's very often difficult to separate
one thing from another because a whole bunch of agencies are trying a whole
bunch of initiatives at the same time."

Livingston said VANDU's ongoing campaign to educate addicts about dangerous
habits like sharing needles and shooting up alone is another factor in
keeping people alive.

"It was so bad down here for a while that numbers of deaths couldn't but go
down."

Surrey and Victoria have also seen decreases. Surrey's drug deaths dropped
to 14 last year from 31 in 1998, while Victoria recorded 15 fatal overdoses
in 2003, down from 26 in 1998. Overdose victims in B.C. were also more
likely to die on a Saturday, followed by Monday and Wednesday. Of the 172
who overdosed last year, the largest number-25-died in August.