WAR ON DRUGS BEING WON?

According to the local RCMP - 2006 was a very good year.

The local 2006 Hope Community Police office year-end report shows a
drastic drop in crime stats attributed in part to good policing and
community cooperation.

The report was presented to the mayor and council on Monday, (Feb.
26.) by Hope Staff Sergeant Dale Kjemhus.

It was a "terrific year, in my opinion," added Kjemhus noting each
significant drop in crime stats with only drug stats on the rise.

Federal and provincial drug offences jumped from 176 police files in
2005 to 661 police files in 2006 , but that increase reflects not an
increase in drugs in the area but increased enforcement of drug laws
by officers, added Kjemhus.

But that increase reflects not an increase in drugs in the area but
increased enforcement of drug laws by officers, added Kjemhus.

Federal and provincial drug offences jumped from 176 police files in
2005 to 661 police files in 2006.

"Our drug statistics show a rise however, this statistic
demonstrates the hard proactive work that our members are doing in
relation to drugs. As opposed to the number of complaints received,
this reflects the number of drug seizures and the amount of proactive
drug work which is ongoing in our community."

The proactive approach to drug enforcement focuses on witnessing
street level drug trafficking, and based on the eyewitness accounts
by police executing search warrants on a suspect's residence, added
Kjemhus in his report.

A proactive shift was recently complete with approximately 20 street
checks, one male arrested on an outstanding warrant and a 300 plant
marijuana grow operation located.

"We are hearing from sources that there is no Meth or Cocaine in
Hope, at this time as the police are doing too good a job, added Kjemhus.

The local police continue to work with the Fraser Valley Regional
Detachment Drug Section.

Crime stats in cases regarding assaults against person saw a drop
from 169 incidents in 2005 to 135 incidents in 2006.

Crimes against property are also down with residential break and
enters dropping from 108 to 74 in 2006. Business break-ins dropped
from 75 to 52 in 2006. Theft of motor vehicles was almost cut in half
to 58 reports in 2006, however, theft from vehicles saw a smaller
drop of 244 down to 220.

In total, crimes against property cases dropped from 969 to 747 case files.

Notable policing initiatives in 2006 include the introduction of
PRIME, a new police records information management system. Although
the PRIME training strained the detachment finances and the computer
system increases an officer's workload by 30 per cent, the in-car
computers will give police the edge, as information is immediately
loaded on the system regarding a suspect or crime in real time.

New Crime Fighting Equipment Funded Federally

The federal business department of the RCMP has also come forward
with monies for Hope, added Kjemhus, due to the excellent work that
is being done in relation to drugs in this area. To aid in US border
enforcement and investigations, a new truck has been added to the
RCMP fleet including a (FLIR) infrared camera to locate unseen
activity in the bush. Local police also have received $35,000 for the
two new ATV's, a trailer, equipment and a storage facility. The
all-terrain four-wheelers will assist police in locating outdoor grow
operations and missing persons. A hand-held $17,000 FLIR camera was
also added to the police arsenal of crime fighting tools. The
infrared camera can identify unusual heat sources within a home or
commercial building aiding in the identification of indoor grow operations.

Grows Costs Property Owners Thousands

'Hope's new controlled substances property bylaw has also been used
extensively by the District of Hope in combating grow operations,
says Kjemhus. "Typically, for each grow we are issuing $3,000 to
$4,000 in bylaw tickets, and another $2,000, on average, for police
costs." Costs are levied against the owner of a property found to be
housing an illegal grow.

Thousands Of Plants Seized In 06

A total of 1,160 marijuana plants have been seized since September
2006 from five marijuana grows - one in Kawkawa Lake, one within the
downtown core of Hope, one in Silver Creek one in Dogwood Valley and
one in Yale. The estimated value was $362,500. A search warrant was
also executed on an unidentified drug house, where police reportedly
seized firearms, stolen property and drugs. In total for 2006, 19
grow operations were dismantled, with one outdoor grow of over 10,000
plants dismantled.

Better Training Leads To Better Policing

Police are continuing to train in the PIPELINE program that teaches
young officers techniques to spot vehicles and suspects transporting
illegal drugs. Impaired driving courses to improve knowledge and
expertise of officers is also being planned.

In previously unreported break and enter three suspects were taken
into custody on Nov 16, 2006 at Hells Gate Airtram, reportedly in a
possession of a large quantity of stolen property out of Lytton.

In downtown park enforcement "members targeted highly visible chromic
drug users and drug parties," noted Kjemhus. "Of key note is one
particular individual who was a chronic issue. Members took it upon
themselves to get the chronic offender into the court system and get
actual jail time and treatment."

The courts, reported Kjemhus handed down a 3.5 year jail sentence to
the suspect in involved in the stabbing of a 15-year-old Silver Creek
youth last Spring. The weeklong trial was completed in October of 2006.

The staff sergeant also commended the Hope Crime prevention Society,
which topped volunteer hours of 984 in night patrols, 448 in speed
watch, 176 for Block Watch, 400 hours on Othello Tunnels and foot
patrols, 808 man-hours in meetings and 1826 hours in board management
and administration. "For a small community this is an exceptional
amount of volunteer hours and the hard work they do is also a major
part of why our crime statistics are coming down" added Kjemhus.

Policing costs for 2006 are estimated at $1.4 million in direct
costs, and a total of $1.674 million in total protection costs, which
includes the fire department, utilized during grow busts as well as
bylaw enforcement. The total estimated budget for the district of
Hope for 2006 is almost $6.896 million dollars.

The only notable increase in 2006 statistics was seen in vehicle
collision jumping for 193 to 261 in 2006 in the District of Hope. The
increase follows a trend of increasing accident rates in the region,
added Kjemhus in a later interview.

The amalgamated Hope Highway Patrol, now known as Fraser Valley
Traffic Services, pulled out of Hope officially with its last local
officer of being transferred to Vancouver Island. A desk, however, is
being maintained at the local RCMP office for regional officers to
access when on patrol in the Hope area. The New Integrated Traffic
Services also in the region. Hope and Boston Bar general duty
detachments now cover vehicle accidents on the highways until it is
known if Fraser Valley Traffic Services officers are needed as
investigators. Traffic Services detachment has returned to focus on
traffic law enforcement and targeted accident prevention.