Pubdate: Wed, 05 Sep 2012
Source: Journal-Pioneer, The (CN PI)
Copyright: 2012 Journal-Pioneer
Contact:  http://www.journalpioneer.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2789
Author: Nancy MacPhee

NO EASY SOLUTION

Work must be done to help addicts before crimes are committed:
Richardson

Editor's note: This is Part IV in a series by the Journal Pioneer
examining drug abuse in western Prince Edward Island. Part V will
appear in tomorrow's edition.

SUMMERSIDE - There is no easy fix to the underlying problem behind
property crime - that of escalating drug use.

It's a message touted by police and reiterated by Rev. Andrew
Richardson, chair of Summerside's Community Safety and Crime
Prevention Committee.

The solution to the increasing drug and subsequent property crime
problem doesn't merely fall on the shoulders of law enforcement, the
justice system, the provincial government or those who work in
addiction - it requires the effort of the entire community, said Richards
on.

"Crime and crime prevention belongs to everybody," he said. "There is
a role for business=C2=85 a role for church =C2=85 a role for the city. W
e need
to be working collaboratively to prevent crime rather than just be
reactive."

Richardson is a victim of crime. His unlocked vehicle was entered and
various items stolen by, he surmises, someone looking for something
they could sell to buy drugs. He, like police, agreed increased drug
use is behind break-ins and thefts from vehicles.

Richardson's church, Trinity United, has also been
targeted.

In a span of a few weeks, windows of several cars in the parking lot
were smashed and items like change and electronics were stolen. Inside
the church, there's now a cabinet where items are kept under lock and
key after purses were stolen or rummaged through and a computer
monitor stolen from the sanctuary.

"It's discouraging and disturbing," said Richardson. "Those things are
drug related. Why would someone break into a car and steal $5 in
change? The reason is that they need that money to get a fix."

A few years ago, the minister and his neighbours decided enough was
enough.

"Right across the street was a crack house. Neighbours were getting
quite anxious about this. We had a SWAT team going in with tear gas
and machine guns," recalled Richardson. "This is all literally right
across the street from us."

They came together, calling on police, municipal and provincial
legislators for help.

The result was the city's Community Safety and Crime Prevention
Committee.

"I've always been a believer that the best kinds of prevention are
community and neighbourhood-based prevention plans. We don't need
tonnes of more laws. What we need is people engaged in their own
communities and looking out for each other.

"Where we need government involved is in providing opportunities prior
to crimes being committed so that youth and people who are likely to
commit crimes will go another path. That's really our goal."

When the committee was struck in 2008, property crime was at an
all-time high, with 107 reported break-ins and 354 thefts from
vehicles, crimes.

"Initially, I think people expected that the committee might be more
militant or lobbying for more police. We never really saw that as our
role," said Richardson.

Public input was sought, comparisons drawn to communities of similar
size and makeup in the region and statistics gathered. A report was
pieced together with recommendations on what could be done to curb and
prevent crime.

But, admitted Richardson, there much more to be done.

As a minister, he counsels families impacted by addiction,
particularly drug use.

"There are a lot of families that are struggling with it," he said.
"Quite often there is a parental problem of some kind that there's not
enough supervision or there is a parent involved in drugs. These kids
don't have a lot of guidance."

But, admitted the minister, there are many addicted youths who come
from good homes and have had a good upbringing that get hooked.

"We don't have enough places where these kids can go to dry out. When
they have to travel to Charlottetown, it's voluntary. We had someone
whose child went to Portage, which is residential, and that's what we
need," said Richardson. "In P.E.I. there are certain myths that we
live by and one of them is that things like drug and alcohol addiction
only happen to bad kids. That's not true. It happens to anybody."

And, too often, help is not readily available to those who need it,
something that the community and its leaders must address, he added.

"The province has a drug plan, a prevention plan. It's underfunded. It
is, right now, centered in Charlottetown, which makes it difficult for
people up here, people up west, to access," added Richardson. "We need
more resources at that end so that you put less pressure on your
police force and on the justice side of things."

He firmly believes incarceration is not always the
answer.

"Arresting someone because they broke into a car because they need to
feed their drug addiction, there is some satisfaction in that the
person is off the street but it's not being helpful in the long run,"
he added. "It's reactive thing. We need to have as many things in
place for kids as they struggle through this stuff."

Police agree.

"Incarceration is not always the answer. When they get out they are
starting the very same day to do the same stuff that put them in jail
in the first place. There is something wrong," said Summerside Police
Chief David Poirier. "We need help in combating this. I know that not
all the guys or girls can be helped off their drug problem but it's
amazing how many kids tell us they go home at night at 12 or 1 o'clock
and they're stoned and their parents don't even know."

Police have beefed up patrols of areas where drug deals are known to
go down and youths are reported to hang out and do drugs.

"But the problem is if they move from one location they are going to
go somewhere else," said Poirier. "I urge parents when they get home
or before they go out to check their backpacks."

Cpl. Andy Cook said his Prince District Joint Forces Drug Unit is
targeting bigger dealers to get more drugs off the streets.

"We can't react to every single little thing. We have to prioritize.
The bigger dealers that supply the little dealers that live on your
street, we're probably working on them," Cook said of the four-member
unit's work. "From my unit's perspective, we don't focus on the users.
The users are the ones that should be in treatment. We focus on the
traffickers. We have laws that we have to follow, case law that comes
with the law."

He admitted limiting the illegal drug supply does have its
consequences.

"We've made a bunch of pill busts so the prices have gone up again and
the supply is lower right now. What happens there, with the prices
higher, they need more money and they need to be able to afford their
drug of choice so they end up turning to property crime." So, what is
the solution? Richardson said there's not one, easy remedy.

"The prevention side of things=C2=85 is slow business. I wouldn't say tha
t
we are changing the face of P.E.I. On the other hand, we started a lot
of conversations, we made a lot of partners and we raised the
profile," he added. "Again, if the prison system was helping people
you wouldn't get the same people, when they come out, going back to
what they were doing before."
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