Pubdate: Thu, 12 Mar 2009
Source: Oxford Review (CN ON)
Copyright: 2009 Oxford Review
Contact:  http://www.oxfordreview.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/4146
Author: Bruce Urquhart
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?216 (CN Police)

OCPS HAPPY WITH CRACKDOWN

The Oxford Community Police Service's (OCPS) growing focus on the 
city's drug problem resulted in a marked -- and welcome -- increase 
in the number of possession and trafficking charges laid in 2008.

With both the OCPS's uniformed officers and its drug intelligence 
unit redoubling their efforts to combat the Oxford region's drug 
trade, deputy Chief Rod Freeman indicated the force's strategy was 
now paying noticeable dividends. In 2008, the OCPS laid 191 
drug-related charges, an increase of roughly 44 per cent from the 132 
charges in 2007. To compare, the OCPS laid 113 charges in 2006.

"We've really torqued up our efforts, specifically around the drug 
culture in town," Freeman said Wednesday. "We've kicked it into high gear."

Part of the motivation for the OCPS's increasing efforts was the 
growing impact of the drug trade on other areas of crime, including 
crimes of violence and property crimes. A number of recent robberies, 
including incidents at Woodstock Subs and Mac's Milk, were related to 
the region's drug trade.

"There's an overlap of the illegal drug trade in all these crimes," 
Freeman said. "Good citizens should not be put at risk by these kinds 
of activities. "It's just not right, and it's something we're trying 
to (stop). We're bound and determined ... to tackle (crime) at its 
root source."

While Freeman acknowledged the OCPS could not eradicate the city's 
drug problem, he hoped that officers could "drive it so far 
underground" that offenders would have to "take the basement stairs." 
This renewed focus, he said, could also act as a deterrent for some 
who might be tempted by the lifestyle.

"I want to put out fair warning that this is a priority for our 
community," the deputy chief said. "It's an ambitious task, but I 
think our guys are up to the challenge."

Freeman promised this focus on the area's drug trade would continue 
to be a "strong" priority for the OCPS "over the next period time." 
With the continued prevalence of crack cocaine and OxyContin, a brand 
of the opiate oxycodone, Freeman said the OCPS needed to remain 
proactive in trying "to clear the drug problem."

"One of the first things I recognized (when I came to Woodstock) was 
the significant drug problem in town ... and that spills over into 
other areas," Freeman said. "There is a direct line between drugs and 
crimes of violence.

We've seen home invasions, assaults and robberies that can be 
directly attributed to the drug trade."

For the past few years, the OCPS has noted a gradual increase in 
violent crimes in the region, including an eight per cent jump from 
the 471 actual reported incidents in 2007 to the 508 in 2008.
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