MORE POLICE NEEDED, MAYOR SAYS

Criminal offences jumped in Abbotsford in 2001 and Mayor George Ferguson
says it's time city council coughed up the money to hire more police to
deal with the growing problems.

However, numbers also show the city still enjoys the lowest crime rate out
of four centres in the Fraser Valley, according to a year-end report to be
presented to the Abbotsford police board today.

From a low of 10,500 Criminal Code offences for 1999 and just under 11,000
in 2000, the numbers for 2001 have jumped to well over 13,000.

The report cites urban growth, an increase in drug trafficking, "revolving
door" sentencing and a higher proportion of young males in the community as
root causes for the jump.

Despite the dramatic increase in reported crime, Abbotsford still had the
lowest crime rate - just over 90 crimes per 1,000 residents - among four
communities in Fraser Valley, including Chilliwack, Langley and Mission,
which had the highest of the four with about 130 crimes per 1,000 residents.

Yet, proportionately Abbotsford had the lowest number of police officers
when compared to the other Fraser Valley communities, with its 148 police
officers.

Ferguson, who is also the chairman of the police board, said the city
council members will have to face up to the effects of urban growth by
opening up the coffers to hire more police.

Last year, Ferguson had to break a tie vote among the councillors to
approve the hiring of five police officers.

"No one wants to put up taxes, but if you're going to have more people
you're going to have to have more police, more parks and other services
that people want and some council members have to recognize that," he said,
adding that business and home buyers will think twice about coming into the
community if the crime keeps increasing.

He estimated that a five per cent increase in the city's budget is needed
to keep up with inflation and to meet immediate service needs such as policing.

The pressures from urban growth in Abbotsford and outside city won't be
going away, Ferguson said. Along with growth comes an increase in drug
traffic and related problems such as prostitution.

"The drug situation seems to be increasing in this community and there's an
accompanying increase in crime, from break-ins and so on from people who
are trying to support their habits," he said.

Recently, business owners in the old downtown core asked for some solution
to the high concentration of prostitutes and drug dealers there.

The six police officers who work two shifts in the area have had some
affect on the criminal activity there, Ferguson said, but keeping those
officers away from the duty in the rest of the community can't go on
indefinitely.

Criminals from other urban areas are also expanding their territory and
becoming more brazen, for example, entering Sumas Prairie machine shops to
steal welding equipment or robbing homes in midday.

All the while, more and more people are less apt to know the names of their
neighbours and don't keep an eye on what goes on in their street, he added.

In criminal offences to date in 2002 as compared to last year, the
Abbotsford police numbers show that motor vehicle theft is up 70 per cent,
fraud is up 68 per cent, robberies are up 50 per cent, the use of offensive
weapons is up 33 per cent and with one murder early in the year, homicide
is up 100 per cent.