Pubdate: Fri, 17 Feb 2006 Source: Peterborough This Week (CN ON) Copyright: 2006 Peterborough This Week Contact: http://www.peterboroughthisweek.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1794 POLICE TO HEAD UP DRUG FIGHT COMMITTEE BID The City Police Force Will Now Strike A Committee To Look At Battling Drugs In Peterborough At Tuesday morning's Police Services Board meeting, Police Chief Terry McLaren said it was up to city council to create a committee to examine and tackle drug use in Peterborough. However, on Thursday, the force announced that Deputy-Chief Ken Jackman will now create such a committee. On Monday, city council passed a motion, put forward by Town Ward Councillor Bill Juby, that requested city police create such a committee. At Tuesday's meeting, Chief McLaren had said that he was willing to work with such a committee but it was up to council to create it. The sudden change is not really a change at all, says Deputy-Chief Jackman. He explains council may not be able to tell the Police Services Board what to do but that doesn't mean suggestions from politicians aren't taken into serious consideration. "It's the whole idea of community policing. It doesn't matter how it got going." Deputy-Chief Jackman will now contact groups and organizations with an interest in coming up with a strategy to tackle drug use. No date has been set for the committee's first meeting but Deputy-Chief Jackman is hoping the group can meet by early March. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom