CRACK KEEPING RCMP BUSY

Slave Lake might have lost its onerous distinction as the busiest RCMP
detachment in the province and dropped to 26th spot in recent years. But
that doesn1t mean there1s any less crime in this community, the
detachment1s top cop told Town councillors last week.

"We haven1t slowed down. Our per member caseload has gone up, but in some
other places, crime is out of control," Staff Sergeant Dave Shardlow told
councillors as he laid out his plans for attacking Slave Lake1s crime rate
for the next three years. He added, however, his plans are at the mercy of
council1s direction, and can be changed at any time.

That said, however, Shardlow said officers would continue their push to put
the boots to drug-use and alcohol abuse where ever possible. Those, he
added matter-of-factly, are at the root of every crime committed in this
community.

But there are some reasons to be cautiously optimistic.

"Last year we got more drug (search) warrants than ever before," he said,
adding officers had just seized "a pound of pot," from Slave Lake streets
days earlier.

But it1s the harder, more powerful drugs that worry Shardlow most.
"Chemical drugs are out of control," he said.

Crack cocaine is "one of the biggest problems across the province," he
continued, and it1s just as big a problem in Slave Lake as it is anywhere.
"I1ve never seen anything like it," he said of his dozen or so postings in
a 26-year career with the RCMP.

"There are some horrible things out there, and crack is here," he added.
It1s one of the most addictive chemicals on the street, he said, in that
"66 per cent of people who try crack once are hooked."

Worse, he added, are the ramifications of the addiction.

"You have to steal $2,000 (worth of merchandise) a day if you have a $500 a
day (drug) habit.

"These people don1t work," he said of the many people in this community who
are already or are well on their way to becoming crack addicts.

"This is a serious problem in this community."

But officers are thwarting many users1 best attempts to stay stoned, he added.

"We scooped tons of drugs this year. We1ve got a bunch of young guys
(officers) who are working very hard on this and we want to stay on it." So
effective is their search and seize campaign, he added, "we1ve burned drugs
three times since I arrived."

RCMP officers have built a very effective DARE (Drug and Alcohol Resistance
Education) program here, he said, with four officers currently trained to
take the 28-week message to Grade 5 students in the area.

"We need to get (the message) to these kids," he added. Not only does the
program convince kids to stay way from drugs and alcohol, "it also gets our
members into the schools."

The overall youth of this community is certainly a factor in both the drug
and alcohol problems in this community. But Shardlow was careful not to
blame teens, or the 22-to-35-year-olds for officers1 frequent need to work
many overtime hours.

"The parties go until 5:00 or 6:00 a.m., and some are not young kids,"
whose actions demand officers1 response, Shardlow added.