By Charlotte Morritt-Jacobs - (@morrittjacobs on Twitter)

Deputy Chief Responds to “Methbridge” Label

Apr 11, 2016 | 5:04 PM

LETHBRIDGE – The Deputy Chief with the Lethbridge Police Service responded to media inquiries on Monday over a recent article used in the Calgary Herald and the Calgary Sun which position Lethbridge as a hub for gang violence.

The articles suggest that rising gang violence on the Blood Reserve is finding its way onto the streets of Lethbridge and that the gangs are known for brutal beatings, stabbings and other violence.

Deputy Chief Colin Catonio rejected claims of increased gang related crime and said that most violence in the city occurs between small groups of people.

“What we’ve experienced so far is nothing out of the ordinary, this isn’t generally a public safety issue,” he said.

When asked about the article’s validity which dubbed Lethbridge as “Methbridge,” Catonio stated that the terminology is not something to be attributed to the city.

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“Our drugs of abuse include: fentanyl, cocaine, marijuana and there has been some meth but that terminology is not attributed to the police,” he said.

While Catonio would not speak towards any criminal activity on the Blood Reserve, he did remind the media of the coordinated effort across the province through the “Alert Mandate.”

Since the Calgary Sun article, the Blood Tribe Chief and Councillors have also released a statement acknowledging escalating concern over drug crime.

“In response to the article, the Chief and Council would state that there is much more that is being done in the Blood Tribe Community to alleviate the drug problem and related crime activity than is being reported by the media.”