Pubdate: Fri, 15 Feb 2008 Source: Edmonton Journal (CN AB) Copyright: 2008 The Edmonton Journal Contact: http://www.canada.com/edmonton/edmontonjournal/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/134 Authors: Darcy Henton, and Ben Gelinas PREMIER TAILORS CRIME FIGHTING TO PROTECT KIDS FROM DRUG ABUSE Opposition Leaders Insist More Resources Are Needed In Municipalities To Improve Safety LETHBRIDGE - Premier Ed Stelmach vowed Thursday to protect children from exposure to a lifetime of drug abuse in Alberta as he highlighted his party's crime prevention plan. "It's got to stop and it will stop in the province," he said during a campaign stop in Lethbridge. The Conservative party leader talked about legislation, passed in December, which will enable police to enter and shut down houses used for drugs, gang activities and prostitution. The legislation will in turn protect innocent children involved, he said. "We have to move a lot quicker in a lot of those areas," Stelmach said. "We know we have young children in these drugs houses. "We know it's happening and yet we can't move quickly." The premier also promised to beef up policing in Alberta by helping municipal forces, RCMP and sheriffs recruit at least 100 more officers provincewide this year. That's not a lot, considering more than 1,500 officers are currently working in the province's capital alone, Edmonton Police Association president Peter Ratcliff said. "We have a very aggressive recruiting campaign that's been ongoing for the past six or seven years and it is barely meeting our recruitment objectives," he said. "The province comes out and says: 'Yeah, we're going to get 100 people.' My first question of them is: from where?" EPS plans to recruit 170 new officers this year. Camrose Police Chief Darrell Kambeitz welcomed the pledge for more officers. "Anytime someone is offering to supply resources... it will always assist us in performing our duties," he said. Alberta ranks eighth among the provinces with 168 police officers per 100,000 people. The Liberals questioned how the Conservatives intend to bolster the front-line ranks. "There's only one way to get more officers on the street and that's by giving municipalities the funding tools to do it," Alberta Liberal leader Kevin Taft said. "Towns and cities have been asking for these tools for years and they've always been ignored by the tired PC government." His party would increase the municipal per-capita funding formula. "Our funding commitment is ongoing and sustainable and can add an average of 113 officers a year over the next three years at a cost of $11 million a year," Taft said. NDP Leader Brian Mason said his party is proposing a "significant increase" in the number of police officers in Alberta. "We have significantly lower numbers of police officers per capita than the national average," he said. "We believe that funding needs to be provided to municipalities to enable them to hire 800 new police officers, which would bring Alberta to the national average in the country. That's a far cry from what Mr. Stelmach is proposing." Stelmach said his plan focuses on treating offenders and stopping them from re-offending. "If we don't deal with the root causes we know that person will be back in," he said. "That's why it's important to spend additional dollars in this area. We know 15 per cent of repeat offenders commit 60 per cent of the crime." The province has already established new warrant apprehension teams to track down and arrest criminals with outstanding warrants. "Every Albertan has a right to feel safe in their community," the premier said. The plan was recommended last year by a safe communities task force. The government committed to spending $156 million a year over the next three years to keep Alberta communities safe, the premier said. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom