NO ARRESTS MADE SINCE START OF POLICE CRACKDOWN ON INJECTION DRUG USERS

VANCOUVER - A police crackdown on injection drug users in the Downtown
Eastside that began Nov. 28 hasn't resulted in a single arrest, says
the police commander in charge of the district.

Insp. Bob Rolls said Thursday that police have been cracking down on
drug users openly injecting in public, but so far haven't had to
arrest anybody.

"The information we're getting back is that drug users think we're
going to charge them, so they're not doing it," Rolls said.

Police are focusing on the area that runs from Columbia Street to Gore
Street, and from Cordova Street to Pender Street. Insite, the city's
supervised injection site, is located in the middle of that area at
139 East Hastings.

The police action was prompted by complaints from businesses and
residents fed up with people injecting drugs on the streets and in the
alleys.

Since Insite opened in September 2003, Rolls said, police have
encouraged drug users to use the facility.