Pubdate: Wed, 22 Jun 2005 Source: Daily Herald-Tribune, The (CN AB) Copyright: 2005 The Daily Herald-Tribune Contact: http://www.dailyheraldtribune.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/804 Author: Kevin Crush POLICE SAY INCREASED USE OF WEAPONRY IN DISPUTES A SIGN OF DRUG ACTIVITY Escalating drug activity in Grande Prairie could be responsible for more weapons being used in bar fights, say RCMP. Spokesman Cpl. Brent Mundle said cops are seeing an increase in the numbers of weapons on the streets - weapons like knives, bear spray, firearms, or homemade weapons. Most of it can be attributed back to the drug trade. "A number of the people we're dealing with in these situations where we're finding weapons of that nature are involved to some degree in the drug trade. "Oftentimes, I think they're being carried for defensive purposes." That may be leading to an increase in incidents in the past year of knives being used in bar altercations. In the early hours of Sunday morning, a 22-year-old Edmonton man was stabbed in the chest during an altercation between two groups of people inside the Utopia nightclub, located in the York Hotel. A 19-year-old Grande Prairie man also received a minor laceration to the hand. In March, a 19-year-old Grande Prairie man was stabbed outside the Pour House and Party Shack by the Quality Inn. And last October, Luke Isaac Desjarlais was stabbed to death during a fight inside the York Hotel. Part of the problem is rampant drug abuse, particularly in the downtown area near Germaine Park, said Dwight Logan, owner of the York Hotel. It's causing concern for everyone in the area, he said. "Anytime there's an act of violence in the downtown I think it hurts the whole downtown," said Logan. "I think one of the things that we should be doing to help control this is cleaning up this question of Germaine Park. I, as a business operator, have people who hang out in Germaine Park by and large barred from my premises, and it's a real frustration for me that this is becoming a hideout for them and they go on little forays in the downtown." Logan, also a city alderman who has been active in trying to get Germaine Park redeveloped, said his hotel is doing what it can to prevent the incidents by barring drug use, possession or trafficking from the hotel and training their staff to deal with those situations, but it's difficult to control when the hotel sits beside the notoriously drug-plagued park. "When you do have a user who is out of control, the fact that they're not permitted on our premises doesn't necessarily mean they won't come on our premises and we have to stop them." Police have stepped up enforcement in the area, said Mundle, but there's only so much enforcement can do to prevent incidents like these stabbings. "You can simply put a lot of pressure on those areas, but what you'll simply be doing is moving those people somewhere else or relocating the problem to another area within the city if we don't deal with the issues that are causing the situation." A more social solution is needed, said Mundle. Last year, the city started on a community mobilization and crime prevention program to help solve some of the social issues behind crime in the city, but being a new group dealing with complex issues means results may not be seen for some time. "Some of the initiatives that project is looking at are going to be long-term and there may not be immediate results, because like I said, a lot of the things that we are dealing with are social issues." It's still unclear as to what caused the June 19 stabbing in the Utopia. An altercation occurred between two groups of people, but no one involved is being co-operative with police, said Mundle. - --- MAP posted-by: Beth