Pubdate: Wed, 22 Aug 2001
Source: Burlington Post (CN ON)
Copyright: 2001 Burlington Post
Contact:  http://www.burlingtonpost.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1528
Author: Howard Mozel, Special to the Burlington Post

RAVE AWARENESS DIRECTED AT PARENTS

\While raves are not a local policing problem, strictly speaking, the fact 
that area youth attend all-night dance parties in other jurisdictions 
remains of deep concern to Halton's police chief.

"They're our kids and we don't want to lose any of them," said Ean Algar.

A recent report by Dr. Robert Nosal, Halton's Medical Officer of Health, 
justifies Algar's fears by pointing out the potential dangers of raves 
which range from crowd control to fire hazards. Nosal concedes that while 
not all attendees take drugs to enhance the rave experience, other pitfalls 
they may encounter include dehydration and the lack of water, inadequate 
ventilation, gang-related violence and the potential for physical and 
sexual assault.

"This is a problem that's under the surface in most communities," said 
Halton Police Services Board Chair Jack Brewer.

Rather than wring their hands helplessly over the issue, however, Halton 
police and the health department, plus both local school boards, are 
partnering to implement a strategy to deal with raves. "As a community, we 
need to use a series of approaches to target youth and the adults that work 
with youth," said Nosal.

Aimed at parents

The issue of raves was front and centre at a recent police services board 
meeting where member Donald Robinson said that, while the problem will be 
hard to deal with, doing nothing is not an option. "I think that's burying 
your head in the sand," said Robinson, who maintains that a proactive 
approach is a must.

To that end, Robinson will soon be attending the Saskatoon conference of 
the Canadian Police Boards Association (of which he's a member) where he 
plans to share Halton's unique approach to raves -- the first part which is 
an education campaign aimed especially at parents. Robinson's commitment to 
bring solutions to a national level received full backing from the board.

"You'll get our complete support," said Brewer, who plans to be part of a 
board contingent attending a Toronto rave.

Halton police Supt. Dan Okuloski agreed wholeheartedly with Robinson and 
said that while there has been an emphasis on enforcement and drugs, a 
comprehensive "community mobilization" strategy is needed.

According to Nosal, the communication plan aimed at both youths and parents 
involves working closely with area media, providing links on the health 
department Web site with appropriate information, working with local 
agencies on everything from drugs to peer pressure, holding discussions 
with appropriate politicians and much more. Anyone with questions about 
raves can call 905-825-6060, ext. 7490.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom