POLICE OFFICER RECOGNIZED FOR HIS WORK IN THE FIGHT AGAINST DRUGS

A young police officer of the Haut-Saint-Laurent detachment of the
Surete du Quebec has been recognized for two years of dedicated
service as the coordinator of the Programme Cisaille, which targets
marijuana production and trafficking each summer in the area. Officer
Patrick Leclerc received an award of recognition in the category of
"personal engagement" from Christian Chalin, the commander-in-chief
of the Monteregie district, in the presence of several of his
colleagues and regional leaders of the police force. The ceremony was
held on Wednesday, May 16 at the Plaza Hotel in Salaberry-de-Valleyfield.

"I am accepting this award not only for myself," said Leclerc, a
native of Saint-Hyacinthe. "I want to share it with my colleagues who
work extremely hard to carry out this vast police operation year
after year. It is really a team effort," he said, tipping his hat to
the officers who join him each summer in an effort to eliminate the
expansion of the production and trafficking of marijuana.

Leclerc also paid tribute to his colleagues in Beauharnois-Salaberry,
and those with the RCMP, who take part in one way or another in each
one of the Programme Cisaille operations.

As an officer with the SQ for seven years, the 27 year-old has been
coordinating the annual plan to fight the expansion of the marijuana
trade in the MRC since 2005. "For a long time I had wanted to take on
a role like that in Saint-Hyacinthe. The fight against narcotics was
something I held close to my heart as a young officer," said Leclerc
enthusiastically.

Programme Cisaille's main strategy involves destabilizing the
criminal organizations that direct the production and distribution of
marijuana in the region, which requires that each operation with the
Programme is meticulously organized and uses the best tools and
manpower available.

Each requires a team of police officers that are ready for everything
and trained in the use of high tech equipment to scan the ground from
the air and vehicles that can move through various terrains and
navigate less than accessible locations.

Air and ground surveillance of any suspected site and aerial
photographs are necessary to evaluate all possible plans of action
and to determine the number of agents required for each operation.

As the years pass, police forces have had to become more vigilant in
order to seize the greatest quantity of drugs possible.

According to Leclerc, the methods used by traffickers are becoming
more sophisticated and the territory is difficult to investigate
because it is so vast. However, after each intervention, the police
officers are able to take pride in knowing that they have
accomplished their duty. "Nobody among us is apprehensive or afraid
of possible retaliation. If we are well prepared to do our work,
there is nothing to worry about," suggests Leclerc.

If the operations by the Programme Cisaille are successful in the
area, it is in part because of the citizens who tip the police to
areas where there may be a concentration of marijuana seedlings. "It
is necessary to work according to the data that is provided to us by people.

We would not be able to work without the invaluable information that
they give us. They are anonymous, but are of invaluable help to us.
It is extremely important that people continue to inform the police,"
says Leclerc.

Agricultural producers and the different groups who represent them
are beginning to show more interest in working with the police to
track the patches of marijuana seedlings planted in their fields.
"There is good collaboration between the farmers and the police officers.

We discussed this with the UPA just before Christmas and it is
certain that producers are afraid for their goods," says Leclerc,
noting that, "if an individual is stopped, our sources will not be
revealed in court.

All is treated confidentially", he explains.

It goes without saying that to receive such an award will only spur
Mr. Leclerc and his colleagues to continue their fight to the finish
against the marijuana plantations in agricultural fields and wooded
areas in the region. "It is what motivates me to work harder", he says.