Lloydminster Meridian Booster ? Bulldozing a pair of crime-riddled homes on the 4800 block of 48 Street was beneficial, but did little more than push the problem elsewhere, says RCMP Sgt. Ken Marchand.
The area, commonly referred to as, ?48th and 48th? was home to many incidents of criminal activity and violence; appearing frequently on police reports.
Marchand had only been in town for two months when he attended a near-fatal shooting at the residence.
?I?ve had an intimate look at the entire two-lot operation, and it was an interesting place,? he said.
Sitting side-by-side, the two dilapidated homes were connected by an underground passage. And when a local home builder purchased the lot and had the homes torn down last May, broken glass, debris, needles and other drug paraphernalia were found strewn throughout the rooms.
?Is it still a problem? Well, it?s a parking lot now. So that particular place, no,? said Marchand. ?But I can tell you all the players who were involved at the time ? and I dealt with them ? are still coming on the radar screen.?
While neighbours are relieved to see the hotspot of drug activity levelled, Marchand said it?s six of one, half-a-dozen of the other when it comes to drug activity in Lloyd.
?That particular location may not be an issue but the same names seem to keep popping up over and over,? he said. ?If you talk to the neighbours in the neighbourhood, they would say it was a good thing. So for them in particular, I would say it was positive,?
The lot will now be used to build Sommerville Place, an adult living complex. Just across the street, Anthony Hoopla agrees the change will be good for the whole neighbourhood and says he?s glad to see the homes go.
?Traffic has slowed down immensely,? he said. ?And there?s not as many sketchy people and crack heads, that?s for sure.?
For Marchand, the detachment?s attention is simply diverted away from the 4800 block of 48th street and onto the same people and issues elsewhere in the city.
?The players have moved on so basically it?s a continual game of cat and mouse between the police and the drug users and drug traffickers,? he said. ?It?s a game that will play out until they spend time in custody. So it?s just a matter of time.?
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