Pubdate: Sat, 29 Dec 2007
Source: Edmonton Journal (CN AB)
Copyright: 2007 The Edmonton Journal
Contact:  http://www.canada.com/edmonton/edmontonjournal/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/134
Author: Ryan Cormier

CHIEF TARGETS REPEAT CRIMES

City's Top Cop Calls For Restrictions On Criminals Likely To Reoffend

More money and co-operation among the justice and health systems is
needed to deal with criminals who are drug addicts, police Chief Mike
Boyd says.

A number of addicts are repeat offenders in other types of crime, he
said Friday in a year-end interview.

"The collective we -- not just the police -- need to do something
about that," he said.

Boyd applauded the two-year-old drug treatment court program, which is
designed to keep local drug addicts both off the street and out of
jail. In return for a guilty plea, addicts have weekly court meetings,
random drug tests and counselling.

But Boyd said the program hasn't gone far enough to treat
addictions.

"They're making great gains, but there's not enough of it. Drug
dependence is, primarily, a health problem."

While Edmonton's overall crime rate fell four per cent in the first
nine months of this year, violent crime rose 22 per cent. Earlier this
year, city police said officers spend 30 per cent of their time
dealing with 137 habitual criminals.

Boyd said a section of the Criminal Code that allows for restrictions
on people who are likely to reoffend when released should be used more
often to deal with those people.

"Our crime problem should be reduced significantly more than it is. If
you have police out there arresting the same people again and again
. catch and release is what it's called."

Boyd currently has a goal to cut crime seven per cent in eight major
categories by the end of July 2008. That's a less ambitious goal than
the 14-per-cent target he set during his first year as chief.

In hindsight, he said, his department, provincial ministries and
social groups that deal with crime didn't connect fast enough to
achieve the initial goal. He believes seven per cent is attainable.

This year, Boyd saw success in faster police response times to
high-priority calls by putting more officers on the streets and making
them responsible for smaller areas of the city.

"It was taking us 18 minutes to respond to high-priority calls. That's
an extremely poor performance."

Now, officers reach high-priority calls within seven minutes, 75 per
cent of the time.

Boyd also noted that the use of Tasers has been cut dramatically. By
mid-November this year, officers had used the electroshock weapon 69
times, compared to 139 in 2006 and 253 in 2005.

As a result, public confidence is up and and public complaints are
down, he said.

"I felt the Taser was being used far too often."

Boyd said his department's morale is "reasonably good." New policies
have changed the way officers police the city, which has met with some
resistance, he said. Some officers would like the changes reversed.

"Being a police chief isn't about winning a popularity contest," he
said. "That's not why I'm here."

Among the chief's long-term goals is a reduction in gang activity and
violence.

City police made more gang-related arrests this year than last, a
trend Boyd hopes will continue. However, he also plans to work with
social groups to determine why young people get involved in gangs.

"As a society, we have to ask ourselves why we have so much gang
activity.

"What's going on with our young people that they want to gravitate
towards the gangs?"

Boyd signed a three-year contract when he arrived in Edmonton in
January 2006. He recently signed a three-year extension that will keep
him on the job here until the end of 2011.
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