Pubdate: Tue, 13 Feb 2007
Source: Cobourg Daily Star (CN ON)
Section: Pg 10
Copyright: 2007 Northumberland Publishers
Contact:  http://www.northumberlandtoday.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2227
Author: Valerie MacDonald
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/youth.htm (Youth)

LOCAL POLICE CHIEFS STEP UP WAR ON DRUGS

The chiefs of police in Cobourg and Port Hope are taking different 
approaches to the increasing amount of drugs on town streets.

The increase in crystal meth is of great concern, says Cobourg Police 
Chief Garry Clement. It's one of the reasons, he says, he initiated 
his Drug Challenge Program asking young people to say "No to Drugs."

His next presentation is February 20 at St. Mary's Secondary School 
in Cobourg where he'll meet with Grade 9 students.

Chief Clement's first presentation was in December, when students 
from three elementary separate schools came together at Notre Dome 
Elementary School on Burnham Street in Cobourg. The program targets 
young people in Grades 7 to 10. The chief says he gives a straight 
talk based on what he has seen drugs do to people. It's not scare 
tactics but real life experiences, he explains. Crack cocaine and 
marijuana are readily available to local youngsters, he says, and the 
program is to ask young people to voluntarily sign a pledge that they 
won't do drugs.

They take the pledge away with them.

"They don't come back to me," he says.

Recently 12 teens at a Rebound Youth program, where the chief 
volunteers, all signed the pledge.

"That's 12 kids who were picked up for drugs," he added.

It will be important this year to get councils and communities to 
appreciate the drug problem and attack it with education, treatment, 
enforcement and harm reduction, he said.

In Port Hope, Chief Ron Hoath says the local service's joining the 
Kawartha Drug Enforcement Unit has put pressure on illegal drug users 
in Port Hope.

"We've done that in spades," he says. "They are reeling..., knowing 
we may come in their door or windows at any time."

The number of search warrants executed has doubled that of previous 
years, and at least four times a month the target is right in Port 
Hope. There have even been weeks when two raids were done a week, he added.

Crack cocaine is a big issue, he says, along with marijuana and the 
pain-relief prescription drug OxyContin, commonly known as Hillbilly Heroin.
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