SQUAD OF DRUG COPS COMING TO ST. ALBERT

St. Albert Mounties hope their new drug section will rid the city of some
high-end drug dealers and send a message to others to stay away.

The three full-time officers on the drug squad are due to start next April,
said Staff Sgt. Don Szymiec.

"We know we've got drug dealers living in the community and we want to do
something about it. There's a lot of money here. If you're a drug
trafficker, this is where you want to be.

"We'll never win the war, but maybe we can win a few skirmishes. We want to
let a few people know they shouldn't come out here and sell dope."

Mounties have seized hashish, marijuana, cocaine, ecstasy and mushrooms. A
couple of months ago, RCMP uncovered a shut-down meth lab that had
allegedly been operated by associates of the Hells Angels, said Szymiec.

University of Alberta criminology professor Keith Spencer said an increased
visible police presence is a deterrent and will "keep a lid on things and
kind of keep it down to a dull roar."

He said when policing in one community is more aggressive - like Edmonton -
it pushes dealers elsewhere, like the suburbs. The perception that drug
activity is only an urban phenomenon isn't true because there's lots of
activity in surrounding communities, said Spencer.

That's why a regional drug force would be a good idea.

"It isn't a local problem. The same players are active in this whole
surrounding area," said Spencer. "These are players who are very mobile."

Once enforcement is stepped up in St. Albert, he said, "I think you're
going to eliminate a number of (drug dealers), intimidate some of them. But
the really active ones will change their MOs slightly, find other ways,
other places, other methods. But at least you're challenging them and
making them less comfortable."