CRIMINAL CODE RATES DOWN, BUT ENFORCEMENT EFFORTS ARE UP: POLICE

Provincial crime statistics are down by two per cent, with Hope's stats
dropping to 1035 criminal code offences in 2001, from 1,167 in 2000.

In the outlying areas, patrolled by three provincially paid officers,
criminal code offences have also dropped from 161 to 139. Criminal Code
offences also dropped in Boston Bar, from 148 in 2000 to 140 in 2001,
maintaining the community's steady decline over the last ten years.

A number of factors can influence the crime rate from extra enforcement
during a specific crime initiative which can drive up the statistics, to a
drop in population or an aging population creating a drop in offences.

However, contrary to the criminal code stats, actual police files opened,
(actual crimes investigated) in Hope jumped by 13.5 per cent, due in part
to increased enforcement efforts, increased reporting by the public, and a
host of other possible factors, says Staff Sergeant Jim Delnea.

Local crime initiatives are set each year in consultation with the RCMP
Community Consultative Group and Council. Last year's police focused their
efforts on drug enforcement, high visibility traffic enforcement within the
downtown core, increased police presence in Memorial Park and on Kawkawa
Lake. A restorative community justice program was also a focus last year. A
first-offender referral program is expected to be up and running within a
few months.

Officers concentrated last year on crystal meth possession and trafficking
and on "marijuana production in the community," said Delnea, with 34
marijuana grow operations being shut down. In 2000 police raided only nine
grow-ops within the district. Marijuana possession charges also jumped from
52 to 76 due to increased enforcement and police checks, says Delnea.
Crystal Meth possession files jumped from 3 to 30 in 2001, however drug
trafficking files remained steady.

Along with the drug trade come related property crimes and auto theft, says
Delnea, with a jump in residential break-ins from 21 to 55 and business
break-ins jumping from 39 to 53, an increase of 162 per cent.

A number of these cases will, however, be cleared from the stats in 2002,
says Delnea, after the male caught inside a welding shop, last month,
pleaded guilty to a number of the 35 charges police had recommended against
him, relating to a rash of break-ins. The man, of no fixed address, was
given 3 years in jail, said Delnea, noting how in a small community one
habitual offender can easily skew statistics with one crime spree.

The detachment's focus for 2002 will follow in line with the successful
2001 program, says Delnea, with a second week of downtown traffic
enforcement "crack down" planned for April. Grow operations and drug
activities in the area will continue to be the main focus police, as it
continues to be a concern to the community, says Delnea.

Police are also planning increased foot patrols and bike patrols in the
downtown core, as well as focusing on those who create a market for the
stolen property from the mass of local break and enters.

Vehicle thefts also jumped to 58 files in 2001 from 40 files in 2000,
triggered by those who steal a vehicle from town for transportation to get
to their drug suppliers, says Delnea.

Impaired driver files were almost doubled last year from 36 to 63, due to
the increased enforcement, as well, says Delnea.

Police were also kept busy last year with a massive jump in disturbing the
peace files, from 156 in 2000, to 277 in 2001, which Delnea suggests is a
reflection of a community facing difficult times of job losses and stress.
Another dramatic jump was the number of files, involving people found to be
a danger to themselves or to others, and confined under the Mental Health
Act. In 2000, there were 11 files under the Mental Health Act. In 2001,
that figure jumped to 52 people, needing assistance of police and health
authorities.

Files in general handled by the Hope detachment in 2001 jumped 13.5 per
cent to 6293 from 5551 in 2000. The increases in some incidents did not,
however, reflect similarly in the number of people charged with a total of
280 people charged in 2001, down from 292 people in 2000, a statistic that
would add to the provincial 2 per cent drop. With increased drug
enforcement, Hope charges against youth males jumped from 32 to 63, and
charges against female youths almost doubled from 12 to 21.

In the outlying areas, business B&Es were also up 250 percent from 2 to 8,
but residential B&Es dropped slightly. Auto theft also jumped from 7 to 10
in the outlying region and nine grow operations were shut down this year,
only four in 2000.

The provincially-paid officers cover a population of 850 people in the
outlying areas, from Yale, to Manning Park, to Herrling Island. Delnea says
he has requested two more provincially-paid constables to handle the
increasing investigations workload stemming from being a detachment at the
hub of the five highways. Hope Highway Patrol is the enforcement and
traffic accident analysis section under a newly