Dear Editor,
Re: “Six arrested after police raid on alleged drug labs,” News, Nov. 19
Well done, Richmond RCMP.
The recent drug lab raid and arrests in Richmond represent great work by our local RCMP members while highlighting the importance of combating a very dangerous organized criminal element.
As a retired VPD police officer with over 35 years of service, I know that criminal drug labs hidden away in houses, apartments and commercial premises represent a very real threat to our community’s safety.
These threats exist from fires, explosions, chemical poisonings which put Fire Fighters and the public at risk. Regular drug users, many of whom may suffer from mental illness, as well as people experimenting for perhaps the first time are being killed and they have no idea of the lethal cross contamination risks of the drugs produced in these labs.
In addition, organized crime brings a wide range of violence and street crime with it. Innocent people have been caught in the crossfire and have been killed by mistaken identity or, unfortunately, by being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
For police, fire, City inspectors, by-law officers, other partner agencies and neighbours, the dangers are real.
For the police, these investigations are also labour intensive. Neighbours are often a great source of preliminary intelligence while the investigation itself may involve surveillance, extensive evidence gathering, Forensic Identification Services, Emergency Response Teams and preparation of search warrants. A fairly basic warrant could easily be 40 pages of carefully gathered evidence. The proper gathering of evidence is laborious, time consuming, and extremely important. Follow-up investigators must interview witnesses and, with arrests, interrogate suspects.
The work is also time consuming, subject to strict procedural/policy and legal requirements that must withstand the intense scrutiny of Crown Counsel, defence lawyers, the Courts, media, and the public. If the case goes to Court, the disclosure of evidence to the defence is thorough and can take months.
Richmond RCMP’s allocation of precious personnel to an Organized Crime Unit in Richmond is a smart move.
Organized crime and illegal drug labs are dangerous. Investigations are resource intensive and expensive. However, they are worth the investment. In this case, the comments from the Richmond RCMP reflect some fundamental policing principles first implemented by Sir Robert Peele (9 principles). Two principles, paraphrased, include that the police need the willing/voluntary cooperation of the public and that the public are the police and the police are the public. They share the interests and welfare of the community.
Organized criminals will look for weaknesses and never consider the safety of the community around them.
Public safety, namely police and fire, are appropriately large portions of the City’s operational budget and this case is an example of excellent work by the Richmond RCMP and RFRS. We must ensure that we allocate the budgetary resources and policy to support the safety of our neighbourhoods.
Andy Hobbs
RICHMOND
