Pubdate: Wed, 03 Oct 2007 Source: Langley Times (CN BC) Copyright: 2007 Langley Times Contact: http://www.langleytimes.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1230 Author: Monique Tamminga Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mjcn.htm (Marijuana - Canada) GENDARME HERE TO LEARN A major with the French police is getting a feel for what it's like to be a police officer in Langley and other parts of the Lower Mainland, including Surrey and the Downtown Eastside. French Gendarmerie Jean-Francois Tripogney, commander of airport security in the county of de Lyon, arrived in Langley Sept. 16. He will stay until Oct. 11. Since his arrival, he's spent time on the road with local officers doing general duty, he's flown at night with Air One, enforced the Fraser River with the RCMP's marine section, worked with the drug and serious crime sections and looked at the Mounties' training facility in Chilliwack. "We don't have the same Criminal Code as you do and we have a different judicial system," said Tripogney of the differences in policing. "Our judicial system is more in favour of policing. Police officers can carry out a search without a warrant, however we can't go and search a house between the hours of 10 p.m. to 6 a.m." he said. Because of Canada's Charter of Rights and Freedoms, police have to produce evidence to a judge who then has to decide whether a search warrant is approved. Here to learn better English, federal RCMP in Ottawa picked Langley because "it's a progressive detachment, it's a good size and we are able to facilitate things for him," said Langley RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Peter Thiessen. Tripogney was surprised to see how many marijuana grow operations are in residential homes, the prevalence of B.C. bud and its tie to organized crime. "In France, trafficking marijuana is a serious penalty with years in prison," he said. "Maybe that's why we don't have a problem." While B.C. bud is the drug of choice in this province, wine still remains the most popular addiction in France, he said. But Langley's social problems are the same as those found in France. Three months ago, the homeless set up tent cities in popular tourist areas of France to protest the lack of social housing. Since then, the French government has tried to refit buildings to address this, he said. France doesn't have the gun problem like Canada does, mainly because of the strict rules required to purchase a gun in his country and all the neighbouring countries like Germany, Spain and Switzerland. B.C. has the U.S. below it and a very big border to police, he said. Tripogney pointed out the difference in policing, with French police only patrolling four hours a day, and not going out to nearly as many calls as RCMP do. "We don't respond to many calls. If we got a call about someone driving onto the median or driving left then right, we would not go to that. Only if there is danger," he said. There are police stations in every village in France, no matter how small, but each detachment has very few officers. There are fewer female officers in France. The population is nearly double that of Canada's and doesn't have the wilderness challenges this province presents, he said. In France, officers are only allowed to go out on patrol if there are two in the car. Langley RCMP patrol by themselves. As for how our coffee and food compares to France, a country hailed for its taste in finer foods and wines, Tripogney was polite, saying we, unlike the United States, have 'civilized' food, offerings lots of vegetables and fruits. As for coffee, which the French are famous for their outdoor cafes, he doesn't drink it, but Mounties sure do, he said with a smile. He believes they must drink a lot of coffee to stay alert for such long shifts. When he leaves Langley to fly home out of Vancouver Airport, he feels secure about flying. "I've been two years at airport security and you have to expect risk. We work to minimize that risk," he said. "It's the same everywhere." - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake