By Don Plant Wednesday, January 17, 2007 http://www.kelownadailycourier.ca/article_4261.php
Better treatment for drug-addicted criminals is the answer to downtown’s crime problem, says Kelowna’s top cop – not throwing away the key.RCMP Supt. Bill McKinnon made a strong case for better access to drug treatment in a speech to the local Rotary Club Tuesday. Police are doing all they can with the resources they have, he said, but they’re mainly focused on 50 repeat offenders who are hooked on crack cocaine and crystal meth.“These people are crying for so much help and support. They don’t know what they’re doing in most cases. Members are dealing with absolutely bizarre and irrational behaviour because they’re so strung out on these new drugs that are out there.
And we’ve got to get help for them.”While some might prefer sending repeat offenders to Siberia, McKinnon called on Rotarians to push for better access to proper treatment facilities so that addicts can stop their cycle of crime. He attributes up to 80 per cent of local offences, including car thefts, shoplifting, robberies and break-ins, to addicts breaking the law to feed their habits. “We have to get help for those who are truly addicted. That’s a real problem in this community,” he said. “We see people in our cellblock all the time who are at the bottom of life, and they’re crying out for help. And you can’t get help. It takes five days to get in there.
”McKinnon estimates half the people living on the streets in Kelowna are legitimately homeless. Most of them are mentally ill and have been “run out” of the downtown by the other half – the criminally transient.“That’s why you see bottle pickers in the Mission,” he said. “It has a tremendous effect on the tourist community. It’s not a good message that Kelowna’s not a good place to be.” Enforcement is only one way to curtail crime in the city, McKinnon said. Like Mayor Sharon Shepherd, he’s frustrated by how long it’s taking to get the Four Pillars initiative on track. Besides enforcement, the initiative offers treatment, prevention and harm reduction. The city has the money to hire someone to co-ordinate the strategy, but the position is still vacant.
The key is timing, McKinnon says. When small-time drug dealers are in custody and vulnerable, it’s an opportunity to get them help. “You need to seize it today, not five days from now. Because within five days, they’ve got another fix and life is good again until the next time,” he said.McKinnon was less critical of the court system, saying judges and lawyers are doing the best they can. But he admitted “everyone knows it needs to be tuned up.”Inmates have better access to drug-rehabilitation programs when they’re serving federal time (two years or more) than in provincial jails, he said. Drug programs are mostly voluntary for inmates doing provincial time, allowing addicts to avoid them.
Rotarians told McKinnon sentences are too soft and laws need to change. The only makeover he wants in the Criminal Code is mandatory jail time for any offence involving a firearm. He encouraged people to lobby politicians if they want stiffer punishments.Legalizing marijuana and other street-level drugs is a non-starter, he said. As a parent, he can’t fathom making all drugs legal. “We see the destruction. It would be far greater than it is today if you made it a legal substance.”
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