Stronger laws needed in fight against drug crime

By Lethbridge Herald on July 30, 2021.

Editor:

One youth lost two bikes from his backyard in 12 months. Another youth lost a locked bike from a food outlet. 

A nine-year-old child saw a male exiting their backyard on a clear afternoon and later found his wagon with items from their shed abandoned down the lane. 

Why do these thieves need the money? Hungry, lack of shelter or to feed a drug addition? This is our other crime wave-the drug trade. How do youth and adults get to this deadly addiction stage?  

Maybe they start out on tobacco or alcohol, readily available to all youth, then on to the deadly, life wrecking hard drugs. 

Of course, marijuana was used along this deadly path, now readily available to all. 

Let’s fund our great Lethbridge Police force so they can have the resources to investigate, charge and convict all participating in this criminal activity. What did our (soon past, we hope) city council and mayor do? 

They followed the fad to defund the police instead. And, how are these stolen items sold to the public without detection?

A free and democratic society requires law and order. 

This means suitable laws need to be established to discourage such criminal activity, which means investigation, charging and conviction of crimes. Also required is sufficient pain resulting on conviction to discourage further criminal activity. 

Ken Oler

Lethbridge