MINNIE ROAD RESIDENTS GET RESULTS WITH CALLS, SIGNS

At a newspaper office you receive all kinds of phone calls.

They run the gamut from real good news tips to someone looking for an
article published about their grandmother in the 1960s to some interesting
questions and requests.

One place where I worked once had a late night call from someone pleading
for the sports department to add a few yards to former NFL superstar Barry
Sanders' rushing yards Monday night total so he could best a buddy in their
weekly fantasy football game.

Another time I ended up speaking to a woman who had purchased a painting
that at night seemed to glow. She wondered why that would be. For some
reason the main switchboard sent her to the sports editor and I attempted
to settle down a woman who was concerned there was something evil about the
portrait of a French woman she had only a few days earlier had thought was
a bargain.

You never know what or who is going to be on the other end of Alexander
Graham Bell's invention.

At times people are just looking for some help. About a month ago this
newspaper started receiving calls from residents on Minnie Road.

The Whiffin Spit area dwellers were concerned about the comings and goings
at a home in their neighbourhood. They suspected drugs were being sold at
the bungalow. Instead of being quiet about it and worrying about the safety
of their children, the residents took action.

They monitored the comings and goings, noting that at times the vehicles
came at all hours of the night and only stayed for a few minutes. They
erected a sign saying the road is under video surveillance.

And they made phone calls, including to this newspaper, which resulted in a
short police beat article and photo. They called the Sooke RCMP frequently
and kept them aware of the situation. It was partly through the neighbours'
help and efforts the local detachment was able to execute a search warrant
Saturday and arrest a trio of males at the property.

The residents should be praised for their efforts. They tried to deal with
the manner in ways they could, without stepping beyond the boundaries of
the law and seeking vigilante justice.

It perhaps took awhile, but the process eventually worked and because of
the actions of the neighbours charges of possession for the purpose of
trafficking will likely be pressed.

All those phone calls worked.