COPS LACK RESOURCES FOR DRUG-STING BLITZ

Don't expect to see a horde of high-schoolers going undercover to nab a
drug dealer near you.

Despite the success of a recent sting operation at Kelvin High School,
Winnipeg police Chief Jack Ewatski said he has no plans to slide a slew of
undercover officers into the city's student population.

"There are a lot of opportunities for us to make those types of arrests,
but where are our priorities?" Ewatski asked reporters at City Hall yesterday.

"We don't have the luxury of being able to ... flood the place with
undercover operators just to make some drug buys," he added.

Responding to councillors' questions at a committee meeting, the chief
noted the provincial Justice Department could soon launch a pilot project
to bring a beefed-up police presence to inner-city and North End high schools.

But in addition to keeping a lid on limited resources, Ewatski said, his
force has to consider a widespread acceptance of "drugs within our culture
itself."