CRIME: KNOWN CRIMINALS IN RCMP SIGHTS

A New Langley RCMP Initiative Will See Police Seriously Go After Known
Troublemakers and Target the Drug Trade That Is Linked to Many
Property Crimes.

Repeat offenders and the drug trade are being targeted by the Langley
RCMP in a concerted effort to make Langley safer.

A Crime Reduction Strategy was launched by the detachment on Jan. 1,
and the goal, said spokesman Cpl. Dale Carr, is to concentrate on
individuals known to commit property crimes, and the drugs they
typically do it for.

"This is a focused, hard, targeted initiative," he
said.

The strategy involves the entire Langley RCMP detachment, but will be
the primary focus of the Drug Section, the Street Enforcement Unit,
and the Community Policing Section.

"By and large, Langley is a safe community," said Carr, who heads one
of two RCMP Community Response Units, "but we recognize that property
crime offences are higher than we would like to see them."

Through the Crime Reduction Strategy, repeat offenders who have been
released on a promise to appear in court, or are out on bail, will be
seriously monitored by community policing officers.

"We will be knocking on doors and checking on curfews," Carr said,
noting that many criminals are released on conditions, yet reoffend.
"They don't take those conditions seriously - now they have to."

Those who are not complying will be arrested and put in prison, said
Carr, noting that "if you are in jail, you are not out committing
property crimes."

"We have a job to do as police, and Crown Counsel and the courts have
a job to do," he said, referring to the number of criminals whose
activities are not hindered by the justice system. "What the courts do
is out of our hands, so we have to do our job."

If that means ensuring offenders are not coming home at 9:10 p.m. when
their curfew is at 9 p.m., then so be it, Carr said: "We are paid by
the minute, so it doesn't matter."

Because police know that drugs, especially street level drugs like
methamphetamine, are "having a profound effect on the people
committing these crimes," Carr said, the Langley RCMP drug unit will
also be looking at "better ways of doing business."

Many drug addicts need cash to fuel their addictions, he said, and get
it by breaking into homes or stealing cars.

Last year, Langley RCMP launched a number of strategies to deal with
the problem, and the result was a large decrease in auto crime: there
was a 32 per cent drop in Langley Township and 38 per cent in the City.

In 2004, there were 681 cars stolen in the City and 1,518 in the
Township.

In 2005, according to statistics compiled in mid-December, there were
422 vehicles taken in the City, and 1,029 in the Township.

While police are pleased with the results, Carr said, "We can't just
sit on our hands. We are always looking at ways to better improve the
way we do things."

This year, a two-member auto theft unit will be implemented in
Langley, and two officers will focus on a problem that was previously
dealt with by the street enforcement unit - a unit that will now be
freed up to cope with other issues.

The idea behind the Crime Reduction Strategy, Carr said, is to
redistribute police resources, and give specific officers and units a
more targeted focus.

The Strategy is being tested by several police detachments as a pilot
project, Carr said, but added that Langley wanted to go ahead and make
it a permanent policy.

"Our senior management did not want to wait for the results of the
pilot project," he said. "In our opinion, the results are going to be
positive."

"It's good, old fashioned police work," Carr said.