I always enjoy the police crackdowns that occur every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights. I also enjoy the "swarming" that the local police service does of the area around McMaster for the first couple of weeks in September. Why?

Simple, it proves to me that it all comes down to money and influence. I grew up in the poorer areas of Hamilton and still go for coffee in my home area of the East End. I look at the problems out there and compare them to the problems out here, and then I wonder why I see police all over Westdale and hardly any in the East End.

Case in point, the bus ride home tonight. Riding on the bus between Sherman and Victoria, I saw all the dealers, pimps, and prostitutes out openly on the street. Here I am, on a major street and not a police officer to be seen.

Going into Westdale, I see three cruisers in the Village and the police are out talking with people and making sure their presense is known. The only large crowds are those in the bars. The largest group of young people who look like students was about 8 people walking towards Sterling. The bus turns at Sterling, another two Cruisers. The police are out talking to people on their front porches who are having some drinks. Largest group was 6 people. I see four police officers within the first 2 blocks. Get down to Dalewood, the Emergency Response Unit is out talking to twenty somethings who, again, are on their front porches having some beers.

Emerson, a cruiser with an officer out talking to a group of four students who are carrying their intoxicated friend home.

I go home, get home after midnight and decide to go to the local bar. I walk six blocks during which time I get eyed by a few officers along the way. Two of them are in unmarked vehicles.

I have been to community meetings in the east end where we are told the police only have so many resources and would love to get more officers to deal with crime there, but they can only do so much.

I see the crackdown in Westdale and I get angry - not that I am being targeted because of my age (got used to that as a teenager in the East End) but because I see police cracking down on 20 somethings who are drinking meanwhile the dealer has his corner at Emerald downtown. It comes down to priorities, if I was sitting in the big chair at Central Station and I had to choose between sending police after dealers or sending them after students, I know where my police would be.

Flip side, maybe the police are making enough from fines that it is revenue neutral to have so many officers cracking down on students. It is hard to fine crack dealers, they tend to not respect the law in the first place.