24-HOUR STORES DOWNTOWN TOO CONVENIENT FOR DEALERS

The officer in charge of policing the downtown core says city hall should
consider reducing the hours of 24-hour stores in the Seymour-Dunsmuir area
to discourage crack users and dealers from hanging around.

Insp. Dave Jones said all-night stores such as the 7-Eleven at the corner
of Seymour and Dunsmuir are popular haunts for drug users and dealers,
which creates a comfort zone for the drug trade.

"I don't want to paint [the stores] as being the bad guys here; they're
just the first opportunists into the woods," said Jones, noting another
24-hour store recently opened on Pender and Richards.

"These are responsible organizations but the locations are problematic for
them, as well as police. Yes, 7-Elevens are bright, fishbowl-type
stores-you're not going to find a lot of inappropriate activity inside a
7-Eleven. It's not the store itself; it's the existence of the attractor,
which is food and supplies."

Jones acknowledges people working through the night, such as police
officers and paramedics, do use 7-Elevens, but says there are other
locations that are not smack dab in the middle of the city's newest crack
haven.

Including the Seymour street store, the downtown core is home to five
7-Elevens, with two more expected to be built by next year, said Trish Lee,
spokeswoman for 7-Eleven Canada. The increase in stores coincides with the
rise in population downtown.

The location of the Seymour store, which opened in August 2000, was
selected because of the proliferation of language training schools and
businesses in the area, Lee said. After speaking with the store's manager
Tuesday, Lee said the store is "absolutely not experiencing any of those
difficulties" described by Jones.

"Rather than be an attraction, we're a deterrent to that type of activity,"
she said, noting each store is designed with Crime Prevention Through
Environmental Design principles. The stores are well lit, surrounded by
windows, have no dark corners and are equipped with surveillance cameras
inside and outside.

The company also has a 1-800 number for people to register complaints about
the store, but Lee said the Seymour store hasn't received one since it opened.

On Monday, however, the Courier witnessed two males go inside the 7-Eleven
on Seymour before hiding in an alcove in a nearby alley to smoke crack
cocaine. The Courier also witnessed a drug deal in the same alley, and
police say store staff have complained to them about dealers demanding
bills in exchange for coins, likely profits from drug sales to addicts who
break into vehicles.

Jones said the problem is worse at night, arguing an 11 p.m. closure would
push dealers and users back to the Downtown Eastside, where police can keep
better track of them.

Coun. Sam Sullivan said council has been open to making zoning changes to
reflect special neighbourhood circumstances-such as the Downtown Eastside,
where 24-hour stores were banned and no-stopping zones implemented.

Sullivan added, however, that there's little to be gained from pushing the
problem from one neighbourhood to another.

He said the priority should be ensuring longer sentences for dealers and
better treatment for addicts.