Pubdate: Fri, 27 Jul 2007
Source: Vancouver Courier (CN BC)
Copyright: 2007 Vancouver Courier
Contact:  http://www.vancourier.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/474
Author: Mike Howell, Vancouver Courier

SENIOR COP STARTS SPREADING THE NEWS ON NEW YORK, NEW YORK

Big Apple-Style Crime Fighting Could Restore Order To Vancouver's Mean
Streets, Says VPD Inspector

A senior Vancouver police officer wants New York-style crime fighting,
social services and street maintenance to restore order on Vancouver's
streets.

Insp. Warren Lemcke said drug addicts should get treatment on demand,
the homeless should have a right to shelter and chronic offenders
should be locked up.

And when police issue bylaw tickets for fighting or public
drunkenness, severe consequences should follow for people who don't
pay their fines.

"There's no way we should have people running around on the streets
with $4,000 in outstanding fines that are not collected," Lemcke said.

Lemcke visited New York City in February to learn how police and other
city agencies reduce crime, keep the streets clean and find
accommodation for the homeless.

He presented his findings last Wednesday to the Vancouver Police
Board. He titled his report, "Comparing Apples to the Big Apple."

"We can't do everything they do," he told the board. "We have a
Charter of Rights, different laws, but we can cherry pick and do
certain things. Where there's a will, there's a way, and it's going to
have to be political will at a very high level. Without the political
will, it's not going to happen."

New York City has seen crime decline by 74 per cent in the past 14
years.

It is now one of the safest cities in the United States, said Lemcke,
noting tourism is up, business is flourishing and property values are
skyrocketing.

That's because the police, in conjunction with various city services,
worked on "quality of life" problems such as imposing fines for
littering and slapping tough sentences on criminals.

If a person doesn't pay a fine, a warrant is issued for their
arrest.

"In the city of Vancouver, in many cases, if you're issued a bylaw
ticket for littering, regrettably, you can shred it and nothing will
happen. That should not be."

A judge at a community court in Red Hook, N.Y. told Lemcke that a man
arrested in possession of two small amounts of cocaine was sentenced
to treatment.

If he hadn't undergone treatment, he would have received 100 days in
jail.

"I can assure you, in the city of Vancouver, you're probably going to
have to have two kilos [of cocaine] before you get 100 days."

The homeless in New York have a right to shelter, said Lemcke, who
added he saw four or five homeless people during his visit, which
included trips to Harlem, Brooklyn, Manhattan and Queens.

New York has a department of homeless services, and the New York
Police Department has a homeless outreach unit.

Any reports of unsafe shelters are forwarded to the 300-strong unit of
the department of homeless services, he said.

Clean streets are also a big factor in reducing crime, said Lemcke,
who noted all businesses must have a recycling centre at the back of
the property.

"Businesses are responsible for cleaning up, twice a day, the sidewalk
in front of their business and 15 inches out from the curb on the
road. Think about that? What if we had that in the Downtown Eastside?"

Lemcke is the commander of the policing district that runs from the
Granville strip to Stanley Park.

Problems for police in the district include public disorder on the
strip, homelessness, drug activity and incidents involving the
mentally ill.

VPD statistics reveal in May the district recorded 95 assaults, 24
robberies, 107 burglaries and 827 thefts over and under $5,000.

The statistics don't include drug offences.

"Can you imagine, that in the city of Vancouver many people drive down
through the 100 block East Hastings and they think that it's standard
operating procedure in this city to openly inject or smoke drugs. We
accept that as part of life in this city. That is not accepted as part
of life in [New York]."

Added Lemcke: "Everyone I spoke to [in New York] said the same
things: 'Deal with the little things, deal with quality of life
issues and crime will go down.'"
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MAP posted-by: Derek