OFFICERS JUST RESPECTED THE LAW

Mayor Philip Owen is castigating Vancouver police officers for attending a
conference that promoted abstinence from illegal drugs. But he did not
castigate senior members of the Vancouver police department and senior city
staff last year for attending a seminar promoting the establishment of
sites for the injection of illegal drugs.

The mayor castigated police officers for trying to obey the laws of Canada.
In doing so, they were not following the direction of city council, the
mayor and the Vancouver police board, which support sites permitting the
possession and use of illegal drugs.

Mr. Owen has moved from complaining about the lack of judicial response to
escalating crime by drug addicts to complaining that a police officer, on
his own time, compiled anonymous data showing that B.C. rates at the bottom
of the pile for judicial response to drug-related crimes.

We ordinary citizens appreciate the opportunity to see what the mayor's
priorities are, and of those who support such a focus.

F.C. Huber

Vancouver