SMARTER WAYS TO FIGHT CRIME

Even if the federal government fails to fund a project to help deal
with 30 local chronic criminals, the city, region and province -- and
businesses -- should find a way to ensure the project goes ahead.

The city is seeking $600,000 from the National Crime Prevention
Centre for a pilot project to work with 30 people who commit a large
number of crimes in the city. The plan would see a Forensic Assertive
Community Treatment team work closely with them on treatment and
support. The goal is to get them off the streets and out of a life of crime.

The plan simply makes economic sense. Victoria police have estimated
that 90 per cent of the property crime in the city -- break-ins,
theft from cars, shoplifting -- is drug-related. And a relatively
small number of people commit a large number of offences.

The individual losses are small -- perhaps a few CDs from a car. But
the cumulative cost and the damage to our sense of security is huge.
A single addict who steals from four cars a week can result in
$60,000 a year in damage to vehicles.

These are the kind of people who would have been dealt with in a
community drug court, which would have offered offenders a choice --
treatment or jail. The federal government refused to fund that project.

Certainly, jail is part of the solution for some offenders who refuse
support. But for the most part it is an expensive stopgap that
produces no real change. The community treatment program offers a
much greater chance at success.

Still, the federal and provincial governments should also act to
close a loophole being exploited by criminals. People arrested for
crimes in one province know that unless the offence is very serious,
they simply have to move to another jurisdiction to avoid
prosecution. Warrants are issued for their arrests when they fail to
appear in court.

But they're largely meaningless. Police in Victoria routinely find
people with outstanding warrants for significant crimes committed in
other provinces. But those jurisdictions won't pay to have suspects
sent back to face prosecution; there is no money set aside here to
pay for their travel. Their offences carry no consequences.

Ferrying suspects across the country will be costly. But when
avoiding prosecution is as simple as hopping a bus, the deterrent
effect of the justice system vanishes.

We need to remember there is no one approach to dealing with these
problems. Support and treatment are needed, but so is an effective
justice system. It's time to start tackling the problems.