While some are giving it two thumbs up others are pessimistic about it cultivating tangible results
Dawn Ostrem &
Jack Danylchuk
Northern News Services
Yellowknife (Nov 24/00) - There are skeptics, but many Yellowknifers congratulate the RCMP for their crack down on drug dealers.
Billed as the largest drug bust in the history of the Northwest Territories, the year-long investigation that ended with the arrest of 70 suspects cost taxpayers an estimated $500,000.
The well-publicized drug sweep was lampooned on national television for being long on sizzle and short on steak, but it has the support of residents from every walk of life.
"If it saves one or two kids from addiction it was worth every penny," said John Dalton, owner of Yellowknife Cabs.
From a seat in The Diner where the issue has been thoroughly vetted over the past week, Dalton said he does not subscribe to a soft approach to marijuana.
"I think many people in Yellowknife share my views; there is a problem here with substance abuse and we must be ever-vigilant."
Robert Villeneuve, a former resident who now lives in Fort Simpson, said the raids increased awareness of drug problems, but questioned the cost.
"It is going to clog the justice system and who is going to pay for that? We will."
Mayor Gordon Van Tighem supports the RCMP but also ackowledged the frustration some members of the public are feeling.
"The arrests in number that we know about are impressive," he said.
"But most of the names so far have had previous convictions and are known. I think people are waiting for something significant to come out of it."
Van Tighem said the main issue is still the funding needed for more RCMP officers in the Northwest Territories.
Yellowknife RCMP say they have received hundreds of congratulatory calls and faxes for breaking what police described as two organized crime rings.
Staff Sgt. Dave Grundy, the RCMP spokesperson for the raids that police dubbed Operation Guiness, said the critics are losing focus.
"We collect all the information and the evidence and give it to the department of justice and they decide what charges will go ahead and what won't," he explained.
"We spend millions of dollars on education as well ... and there's a focus that we have on education (cutting down the demand) and on cutting off the supply."
Grundy stressed that no one who was arrested was taken in without just cause.
"We don't use the court as a stepping stone," he said.
So far, one of those arrested in the raid has pleaded guilty to possession of marijuana for the purpose of trafficking. He was sentenced to four months in jail.
What surprised Diner regulars was not who the RCMP picked up, but who wasn't caught up in the raids.
"If they arrested everyone in Yellowknife who buys and sells marijuana, we'll need two more jails," said one.
Villeneuve doubts that the investigation will produce the results police say will justify the cost of the investigation and prosecution of the suspects.
"I've seen traffickers taken down once, twice, three times and now they are still walking around," he said.
Villeneuve suggested that increased RCMP presence on the streets and education might produce better results than dramatic raids and costly prosecution.
"Teach youth simple values we can all live with instead of wasting money prosecuting," he said.
The number of crimes committed in Yellowknife is rising. The RCMP recently told the City of Yellowknife that compared to the same time last year, there are at least 1,440 more reported criminal matters this year.
Sgt. Terry Scott said "some of (the increase) is because we are doing things much better. It's more of a reporting issue than anything."
There have been more arrests of drunk people for causing disturbances, more accurate reporting, and a small actual crime increase, he said.
A program meant to deal with the downtown problem in the summer, the 50th Street Project, is in danger of folding next year because of a lack of resources.
"(The drug operation) was done very well by our drug enforcement department," he said. "What we did on the street didn't impact them and what they did didn't impact us. It was a good all around effort over all."
