Sometimes perspective is as easy to obtain as your latest arrest report.
We have now had two shocking examples over the past few days of the biggest problem faced by police, and citizens of the Friendly City.
In Belleville on Tuesday, 17-year-old teens from Hamilton and Courtice were arrested following an altercation on Front Street. Belleville Police seized a loaded 9 mm handgun, 72 grams of fentanyl, cocaine and pills.
Last Thursday, Belleville Police arrested three people in the east end on charges which included possession of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking.
One of those three was a 37-year-old Toronto man who was wanted on an outstanding warrant on a charge of first degree murder.
When they conducted a city-wide survey for their Strategic Plan, one question asked by Belleville Police was “what was the biggest problem faced by the community”?
While some believe it’s homelessness, the two recent incidents (and dozens like it from the past few months alone) show that drugs are the number one problem we face.
In the past seven days alone, multiple people from outside our community were arrested in Belleville in connection with enough fentanyl and cocaine to cause many deaths. One of those suspects brought a loaded handgun into our city. One man from Toronto was already wanted in connection with another person’s death.
Homelessness is a complex issue with many layers but we must also remember that homeless people are also the victims of drug crimes where the problems arrive in the Quinte Region carried by people who HAVE homes far from our own.
I’m Paul Martin and that’s what I see looking Beyond the Headlines.
