McLennan town council and residents are fed up with ongoing drug problems in the community. That’s the message coming from town council’s meeting on July 14, when elected officials decided it’s high time to help find a way to eliminate drugs from the area. “It has been a hot topic for council for a long time,” says CAO Tammy Stout. “We want them (drug dealers) to know that we are not going to sit back and let them stay active in the community.” Problems in McLennan have included robberies, child welfare issues, and some violence due to drugs. The town has decided that it is time to make a group to find ways to push drug dealers out of the area. “Unfortunately the population of drug dealers are increasing,” says Stout. “We are starting a concern group that will involve the community to eliminate drugs from our town.” Stout explains that the group will work closely with the RCMP to stop drug trafficking from occurring in the community. She says that their goal is to make the community safer for current and future residents of the picturesque lakeside town. The town welcomed former McLennan RCMP constable Steve Gillespie to the meeting. He currently speaks to groups, organizations and police detachments about the risks of drug use. Gillespie was a police officer in McLennan in 1987 before he was transferred south. He explained that he had had a problem with drugs and now he focusses on stopping drug dealers so that the illegal substances are not so readily available. His focus at the meeting was to help current RCMP Sgt. Ged Dentinger and his staff, as well as the town find ways to tell drug pushers that they are now being watched and are not welcome in the town or surrounding area. “It is important to get word out that everybody is watching the drug dealers,” stated Gillespie at the meeting. “It is effective (for RCMP) to sit in front of drug addict’s home at all times of the day to make them realize that we do know about them and that they will be caught.” Stout explains that McLennan RCMP Sgt. Dentinger and the other constables have been working very hard as of late to crack down on the drug issues in the community. Sgt. Dentinger explains that the drug issue does not only apply to McLennan. “There is a drug problem in every community,” he says. “Any one that says that they don’t have the problem is kidding themselves.” Sgt. Dentinger says that the main drugs being sold in the area are marijuana and crack cocaine. The latter being a hard form of cocaine that Dentinger explains is easier to conceal. “We have been targeting our efforts to high risk areas in the community,” Dentinger says. “We are trying to make it harder for these people (dealers) to sell.” McLennan RCMP will be busy trying to get the message of what drugs do out into the community. Dentinger explains that DARE programs will be brought back into play in the area, more patrols will be held, and the RCMP will be spending more time in schools talking about the drug risks. “There are a lot more people in the area giving information about what they’ve seen take place,” says Dentinger, who explains that they’ve seen an 800 per cent increase in drug information coming into the office. “I just got a call yesterday from someone who noticed the increased police presence in their neighbourhood.” Both Dentinger and Stout explain that many community members have noticed drug trafficking in the area, and that an element of danger has been added due to the trafficking. Their goal is to make the streets of McLennan safer so parents are not scared of their children or other family members being roped into the potentially life threatening act of doing drugs. Stout hopes the anti-drug group will start within the next couple months. Anyone with good drug information or concern of the current drug problem are welcome to join. Phone Stout at 780-324-3065.