YOUR EYES ON THE WAVES

The open sea is an idyllic environment for sneaking marijuana and cocaine
through Canadian borders, a trend that police hope to eliminate with the
help of local area residents.

Smugglers are creative and imaginative, keeping police busy with suspicious
behavior in an area that is too large to patrol, said Auxiliary Const.
Carol Rolls, of the North Cowichan/Duncan RCMP.

"Given the expanse of the waters, there is just no way without the help of
area residents that we can do an adequate watch of the coast," Rolls said.

Creating a hostile environment for the smugglers is the number one priority
of the Coastal Drug Watch of the RCMP. Each year, more than 10 per cent of
the cocaine and 50 per cent of the marijuana imported into Canada arrives
via the ocean.

It is impossible to supply the manpower that would essentially end the war
against drug importation but with the help of area residents, an effective
neighborhood watch is a great first step.

"By instructing people who are familiar with the area with what to watch
for, we are more able to investigate these matters. So far it's been very
successful, although it's hard to qualify the success in dollars or
pounds," said Anne Clarke, B.C. coordinator of the Coastal Watch program.

Area residents are essentially the eyes and ears for the police and their
cooperation and involvement is invaluable, Clarke added. The RCMP kicked
the coastal program into high gear at the Wooden Boat Festival at the Maple
Bay Marina. RCMP has created a straightforward set of suspicious behavior
to keep an eye out for.

Boaters and residents are instructed to look out for boats, which operate
outside normal fishing/shipping lanes or outside normal fishing times.

"These guys are really good at disguising themselves as normal vessels but
there is usually an obvious difference if you know what you are looking
for," Rolls said.

Civilians are also instructed to look for boats that operate at night
without lights, aren't carrying the right equipment for the work they are
doing or are operating in isolated areas.

Police hope that residents will aid in investigations by taking notes and
reporting it immediately to local police or to the B.C. Coastal Watch
hotline at 1-888-855-6655.

"It leads to an investigation and that is incredibly vital to stopping this
infiltration of drugs into our country," Clarke said.