GANG WAR HEADED HERE, POLICE OFFICER WARNS

EDMONTON - A B.C. gang war that has left at least 10 people dead this
year will reach Alberta's capital, the head of the Edmonton police
department's crime section said Wednesday.

"There is a gang war in B.C. It's coming here if it isn't already
here," Staff Sgt. Kevin Galvin said.

"Each one of these groups are connected to each other. The three main
groups in B.C. have people in Edmonton."

However, the hot economy in Alberta doesn't encourage such gang
violence among the more than 24 organizations in the city, he said.
In fact, signs point to the opposite, Galvin said.

In a recent vehicle stop, police found illegal guns and three men who
were all from different criminal groups. "We would not have seen
those groups working together like that 18 months ago. But they can
make money. The bulk of the motive for criminal enterprise is money."

There have been at least four gang-related homicides in Edmonton this year.

However, if the river of money dried up and debts accumulated, the
violence would increase, he suggested.

The local drug trade, auto thefts and the prostitution of Alberta
women in privately booked parties across North America are as
prosperous as the legal economy, Galvin said.

The metro Edmonton gang unit seized 46 kilograms of cocaine in 2006,
an estimated one per cent of the product that moves through the city.

"Even our construction thefts are unbelievable. It's not just a piece
of wood here or there. I'm talking about pallets and pallets of wood.
Entire semi-trucks have gone missing," Galvin said.

One solution is to tighten a bail system that Galvin said is "failing
your community."

He pointed to an example of one man who was released on bail in five
different Alberta jurisdictions while accumulating 148 charges.

Galvin would also like to see a gang diversion program similar to the
ones already available for drug users. Many gang members join up in
their late teens and need to know the reality of what they're getting
into, he said.

Still, Galvin doesn't want the situation to seem hopeless.

"This is a very small percentage of our community that gets involved
with this stuff. You're not going to wake up and find the city's
burned to the ground."