OFFICER ISSUES WAKE-UP CALL ON DRUGS

If the first step to solving a problem is admitting that one exists,
Flin Flon has some work to do when it comes to street drugs.

That's the assessment of RCMP Cst. Bryan Bowskill, who says that while
busts of recent years have opened many eyes, the community as a whole
fails to fully grasp the situation.

"I think it's Flin Flon just not wanting to believe it," says the
officer. "Like the sleepy small town of 6,000 people doesn't want to
believe that crack is here and doesn't want to believe that there's
cocaine being dealt at the kilogram level."

While that attitude may offer peace of mind, Cst. Bowskill says it's
not helping police root out drug dealers and get marijuana, cocaine
and crack off the street.

"Nowadays, you can't avoid it," he says, referring to the prevalence
of drugs in general.

That's not to say RCMP haven't been benefitting from some greater
public assistance and cooperation in their fight against drugs.

"There are plenty of people in this community who do call and open
their homes to us and invite us in for coffee to explain what the
problems are," says Cst. Bowskill. "I give hats off to those people
because they're the ones that help us enforce federal drug laws. It
makes it a lot easier when these people call us."

But the officer admits that making that call can be strenuous,
particularly when the informant may personally know the criminals
involved -- not an unlikely scenario in a small town.

"Flin Flon is very tight-knit," he says. "It is a downside in this
regard because you don't want to be that person that called the police
about someone that your parents might have went to school with or who
you went to nursery school with or at some point played with. And
because everyone knows each other, it's tough for police to obtain
information."

But it shouldn't be that way, Cst. Bowskill points out, considering
that drug-related information is passed on to authorities with
guaranteed confidentiality.

Though drugs are present in most communities, Cst. Bowskill says local
police face an added hurdle: high income levels that make Flin Flon
exceptionally ripe for dealers.

"That's without question," he says, adding that the cash surplus
"definitely allows a dealer to take advantage."

Yet there's strength in numbers. Residents involved with drugs are a
small minority, and police feel that with the majority watching for
signs, the problem can be diminished.

"The biggest sign that I think of the general public is catching onto
is the steady stream of traffic," says Cst. Bowskill. "If you have
different vehicles, unknown vehicles per say, or even known, coming
for five minutes at a time and leaving, and it's steady, that should
clue you in. Or even steady foot traffic coming and going."

While many may picture drug dealers and their clientele as
representative of the outer fringes of society, Cst. Bowskill says
that's not always the case.

"It's a lot broader than you think," he says, adding that the drug
world involves many residents few would ever suspect.

Just as the usage is varied, so too are the consequences. Cst.
Bowskill believes there's much more to the issue than meets the eye.

"Drugs lead to break and enters in order to steal property to sell or
pawn off for money to buy drugs," he says, adding that this has
happened locally. "Drugs lead to fights and assaults and stabbings,
and drugs lead to break and enters into businesses and robberies."

Cst. Bowskill doesn't use the term "serious" when describing Flin
Flon's drug scene, but repeatedly stresses that it is nothing to be
taken lightly.

At the end of the day, even with greater the public support police
yearn for, Cst. Bowskill admits he and his colleagues have an uphill
battle.

"It's not like we can come up with a solution tomorrow," he says. "All
that we can ask is that the public is aware and they call us. If they
see something that is suspicious, pick up the phone and call the
police and speak to one of the members. It's all confidential."

Cst. Bowskill adds that Manitoba Crime Stoppers is another option for
residents with information.