THE LAW ACCORDING TO JOHN LES: TAKE THE LONG VIEW ON GANG SHOOTINGS

On a day that began with two more murders on a Vancouver street, it
was time to check in with the minister for pooh-poohing concerns
about gang warfare, Solicitor-General John Les. Any thoughts on the
latest shootings, minister? Well, yes, as a matter of fact, Les told
reporters at the provincial legislature Tuesday.

The first thing that came to mind was that if people get involved in
drugs and criminal gangs, "from time to time they get shot."

Not to put too fine a point on it: "That was your choice." (And now
you're dead.)

But what about innocent bystanders? Les said he couldn't be more
concerned about them.

Those two bystanders, killed in Surrey recently along with four
others who were not so innocent -- "that's the [incident] that sticks
in my craw."

But police have been warning for years about the risks of ordinary
folks being caught in a gang-related crossfire.

And that is why (to hear Les tell it) the B.C. Liberals have done so
much to gird the province for the fight against gang violence.

"We don't need to make this a priority," he assured the legislature
during the afternoon question period. "We already have."

Another 900 officers on the streets. Some 600 officers assigned to
integrated policing. One of the most advanced information-sharing
systems available.

"I'm completely confident that the structure we have in place is up
to the job," he told reporters. "I have not heard from anyone that we
do not have sufficient resources on the ground."

Mind, "I'm not downplaying the problem," Les insisted. "Any time
there is shooting or a murder, I am concerned." But with these latest
incidents, "there have not been arrests. That's clearly what we are
all looking for."

What about earlier killings? The gangs have been blasting away at
each other for years in a modern re-enactment of the Untouchables.

Was B.C.'s world-class crime-fighting unit having any success nabbing
the perpetrators and tossing them into the clink?

"I'm not sure that we're not seeing convictions," he replied.

But was he sure that we are seeing convictions? Nope. "I haven't
recently reviewed the court records on this."

The line of questioning brought Les back to the recent spate of shootings.

By themselves, they suggest that whatever the government has been
doing to combat gang violence, it isn't enough -- no?

"We have been through a period where we've had an unusual number of
these events," Les conceded.

Ten gang-related killings in 21/2 weeks? That's some calendar of events.

But he wasn't about to give any ground. "I need to take a bit longer
view of these things," he told reporters. "The death toll in the last
few weeks has been unusual." Then again, taking the longer view,
Vancouver has had about the same number of murders this year as last.
So "there's nothing to suggest there's something very unusual going on."

He likewise dismissed calls for a regional or metro police force, to
better coordinate the fight against criminal gangs in the Lower
Mainland. "A bit of an unproductive red herring."

If the solicitor-general thought a regional force would do any good,
he'd be calling for one. But he doubted it would add anything to an
already superior degree of integration -- "one of the best on the continent."

Wasn't the new police chief from West Vancouver, Kash Heed, calling
for a "serious public debate" on the need for a regional police force?

Chief Heed pitched it as a way to more effective targeting of gang
activity, an end to compartmentalization and "head in the sand" localism.

Les knew all about it. On reading Heed's views -- published Monday in
The Vancouver Sun and the Globe and Mail on Tuesday -- the
solicitor-general sprang into action.

He called West Vancouver Mayor Pamela Goldsmith-Jones, who is also
chair of the police board there, and demanded to know if the chief's
view reflected that of the police board.

"Apparently it does not," Les assured reporters. "She knew nothing
about the article so he is at least out of line to that extent."

Les went on to characterize the chief's call "an unwelcome
distraction at this point." Under prodding from reporters, he also
conceded that he had advised the West Van mayor that her chief was
guilty of promoting a red herring.

Who says John Les is weak and ineffective?

Sure, he may be a little feckless in the face of gang violence.

But when he sees a real threat to peace, order and good government --
a renegade police chief daring to disagree publicly with John Les's
view of the world -- he wastes no time blowing the whistle.

It's all a matter of understanding the minister's priorities.

Rich Coleman, the previous solicitor-general, cultivated a reputation
as the top cop.

Les, his successor, is angling for the role of top cop-out.