The April 2 edition of the Advocate ran a front page story with the headline: “Homicide home known to police.”
The story details first-hand accounts of a murder at a Grandview residence. Additional content in the story from neighbours in the area tells how the Red Deer RCMP detachment has known the residence in question has been an active drug house for the past decade.
How is it a known drug house, and now scene of a murder, has been allowed to operate for a decade, especially with police knowledge of long-term illegal activity taking place?
Neighbouring residents have a right, and expectation, to live in a community where blatantly illegal activities from a known and identified home do not occur on a daily basis.
Is this expectation of safe and quiet enjoyment of their homes and properties not what they pay property taxes for? What do we keep a police force for?
Remember, this house has not been a neighbourhood problem for just the past few weeks, but for 10 years or more. I find it unconscionable the city and the RCMP can find no solution to solve this problem.
A couple of weeks back, the Advocate ran a front page story about (yet another) RCMP chief superintendent being appointed to head the city detachment. The headline quoted the superintendent as stating something to the effect that “Red Deer is a safe community.”
How can our city be considered safe when the police force we pay to protect us cannot shut down a known drug house that has been operating for 10 years?
Do they need to read about it in the local newspaper? How many other long-term drug houses are operating in our community, and how many neighbours are living behind tall fences, bright security lights, with baseball bats at the door for protection?
Shame on our community leaders and police for allowing such things to occur in our city.
Ray Yaworski, Red Deer