Calgary Herald

Meth behind crime wave, chief says

Barlow says drug imperils not only officers but innocent members of public

- SHAWN LOGAN With files from Canadian Press slogan@postmedia.com On Twitter: @ShawnLogan­403

Calgary ’s acting police chief painted a bleak picture of how methamphet­amine has fuelled a rise in crime and violence on city streets, as he addressed a federal committee in Ottawa on Tuesday.

Speaking before the Standing Committee on Health, interim police Chief Steve Barlow said the drug has become a scourge that’s threatenin­g the safety of not only officers but members of the public, whose lives are being put at risk by those trying to feed their addiction through crime.

“Meth is fuelling much of the crime in our city. We’re currently ranked No. 1 in the country for stolen vehicles and have witnessed a number of recent unprovoked violent attacks on innocent bystanders,” Barlow told committee members.

“These innocent people who happen to be in a public place when a meth-fuelled individual takes drastic actions (can) cause them life-threatenin­g harm.”

Last month, Calgary grandmothe­r Rozalia Meichl was paralyzed after being pushed off a CTrain platform onto the tracks below by a woman Barlow alleged was high on meth. The drug is also thought to be behind a trio of random stabbings near Chinook Centre over the summer, as well as a senior who was stabbed multiple times while sitting on a bench in the downtown.

Meanwhile, Barlow said a new troubling trend has emerged as meth addicts continue to target vehicles as an easy means to pay for their drugs.

“What I’m truly finding more alarming than anything is our nighttime break and enters — this is when families are home asleep,” he said.

“We are finding that these numbers are going through the roof, and the majority of the reason behind it is because these offenders are going into the homes and stealing the keys of the vehicles ... because the newer vehicles are harder to steal.”

Barlow said incidents involving meth in the city have already reached 1,769 in 2018, a number that’s about 130 per cent higher than the force’s five-year average.

Last week, a police operation toppled a significan­t drug traffickin­g ring, seizing a haul of drugs — including 10 kg of meth, worth some $400,000 on the streets.

And as meth floods more freely into the city, primarily being exported from labs in B.C. and Mexico, Barlow added it has become increasing­ly affordable to those in its grip.

“In 2015, it was selling for about $100 a gram, we’re now down to close to $50 a gram,” the chief said. “Putting that into perspectiv­e, we’re looking at about $5 a hit. This one dose can last up to 24 hours.”

Barlow said officers are finding themselves caught in a cycle of arresting prolific offenders in the throes of a meth-fuelled crime spree, only to see many of them quickly released and back on the streets committing crime.

He told committee members any real solution needs to focus on treating those with addictions and mental-health issues to get to the root of the dangerous crime sprees that often come as a result.

“My officers are worn out with the continual grind of arresting the same individual­s for drug and property crimes in the morning

What I’m truly finding more alarming than anything is our nighttime break and enters … when families are home asleep.

and having them back on the street during the day,” he said.

“We will not arrest our way out of this problem. When I look at the tools on an officer’s belt, there isn’t a single one that will help the persons in the throes of an addiction. We can arrest the drug trafficker­s who are preying on our vulnerable, addicted population, but it is the demand there, another trafficker will take their place.”

Barlow was joined in his plea to widen the battle against meth by Winnipeg Mayor Brian Bowman, who told the committee Ottawa must include meth in a national strategy on illicit drugs, strengthen border protection and provide more resources for mental health.

“Meth doesn’t distinguis­h between the area of the city in which you reside, your family’s income,” he said. “Addictions and mental health really know no bounds and we are seeing that here in the city of Winnipeg.”

 ?? GAVIN YOUNG ?? Calgary police Chief Steve Barlow, in Ottawa on Tuesday to speak before the Standing Committee on Health, said “nighttime break and enters” are “through the roof” in part because of meth-inspired thefts.
GAVIN YOUNG Calgary police Chief Steve Barlow, in Ottawa on Tuesday to speak before the Standing Committee on Health, said “nighttime break and enters” are “through the roof” in part because of meth-inspired thefts.

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