CORE CLEAN-UP WORKING

Victoria police Chief Paul Battershill wasn't kidding when he uttered the
words, "we are prepared to make it very unpleasant to be a drug trafficker
in this city".

He made the statement at a January press conference, ushering in the start
of the city's Downtown Action Plan.

Whether unpleasant is the best word to describe the current street
environment for pushers and others who would profit from the drug trade on
the city's streets is open to interpretation.

But for certain, Victoria police are making it a lot tougher for them to do
business out in the open in the downtown core.

Since the formation of the police department's 20-member drug task force,
which coincided with the announcement of the action plan, more than 300
arrests have been made in the downtown core. Nearly half of those have been
for trafficking or possession for the purpose of trafficking -- mainly for
cocaine, according to Sgt. Darren Laur, the street-level officer in charge
of the task force -- and simple possession. Dozens more charges of breach
of the terms of release or parole have been laid against individuals
previously charged or convicted of drug offences, terms that include
illegally being inside the "red zone".

Laur says that so far, according to police, the effort to crackdown on the
urban drug scene is making a difference in the core.

Asked whether drug dealers are increasingly finding other areas of town to
meet their customers, since the demand remains for drugs such as cocaine,
methamphetamine and heroin by the more than 2,000 active addicts in the
Capital Region, Laur says no new hot spots have emerged.

"They're moving, but we're moving with them," he says. "We've noticed a
little bit of increased activity up around the Quadra and Pandora area but
we seemed to have nipped it in the bud."

Laur says people he has spoken to who live downtown say they feel safer
with less visual drug activity going on around them.

Battershill says he walks the downtown most evenings and has noticed a
"significant decrease" in activity that could be considered "threatening"
by some people. He adds that a psychiatrist who works with mentally
disordered people who live downtown recently told him that his clients say
they're feeling safer overall.

But some downtown merchants point to another issue that continues to create
difficulties for businesses.

"I guess getting dealers off the streets is moving in the right direction,"
says Stuart Clarke, manager of Robinson's Sporting Goods on Broad Street.
"But this town needs to be cleaned up."

Clarke says with so many people living or hanging out on the street, and so
few washroom facilities available, sanitary issues are becoming a problem.
Many downtown retailers have policies in place of not allowing
non-customers to use their restrooms.

A call to the City of Victoria's street cleaning department found that
clean-up of unsanitary conditions downtown or anywhere in the city are
complaint-driven. A staff member says crews are available quickly to clean
up any kind of mess.

Battershill admits the issue of street people is complex. Some are truly
homeless and some aren't. Some are dealing drugs or simply have addictions
that cause problems for others downtown, while others might simply be
panhandling to earn enough money for food and shelter.

"We have to show a firmness that's compassionate," he says, adding the
firmness is needed for trafficking issues while compassion is necessary for
when dealing with people who simply need guidance toward social services.

Vancouver Island Health Authority (VIHA) spokesperson Shelby Chamberlain
says discussions are continuing toward the creation of a sobering and
treatment centre for addicts and alcoholics. She says VIHA hopes to make an
announcement sometime next month -- along with its partners in the Downtown
Action Plan, the police and the city -- on the services such a centre would
provide and where it could be located.

It would be part of an expanded mental health and addiction services
program for VIHA on the South island, she says.

In theory, the centre would give police an alternative place to direct
addicts they encounter -- including dealers -- rather than simply tossing
them in jail and seeing them released into unsafe situations soon after.

While he said it isn't appropriate for the police to comment on sentences
to people convicted of drug offences, Battershill says he has been pleased
with how all the components of the justice system are working together to
solve the problems. "I would say the sentencing has been proper and balanced."

Despite what is being trumpeted as an impressive rate, there are no plans
to let up on the enforcement side of the Downtown Action Plan. As part of
the continued focus on downtown enforcement, Laur said the department plans
to change its shift times, to keep off guard those people who think they
know when less officers are on duty.