ORGANIZED CRIME NUMBERS LEVEL OFF: RCMP

While more organized crime groups have been reported nationally,
Saskatchewan hasn't seen a similar increase, said the bureau chief of
Criminal Intelligence Service Saskatchewan, RCMP Staff Sgt. Todd Plant.

Even so, he said organized crime groups continue to be a major concern
for Saskatchewan law enforcement agencies.

"We're still seeing it here, that's for sure," he said. "Street gangs
remain an issue in Saskatchewan with more than 20 known gangs in the
province."

In its annual report on organized crime released Friday, Criminal
Intelligence Service Canada -- an organization comprised of numerous
Canadian police forces including provincial umbrella groups like CISS
- -- said 150 more crime groups were identified nationally in 2007 than
the year before, putting the current figure at 950. CISC said that
increase is mainly due to enhanced reporting.

Here in Saskatchewan, Plant said while organized crime showed signs of
growing over the past three years, the most recent figures have
remained relatively stable -- perhaps in part due to police
partnerships.

"We've really kind of come to the point where our intelligence-gathering
techniques are very good and we work in integrated enforcement and
intelligence units in this province," Plant explained. "So we're
fairly lucky in that regard that we have all the police forces that
are basically contributing to this priority ... There's really no area
of the province that's untouched by an integrated unit."

The Regina Police Service is one of the agencies involved with CISS,
and that integrated approach benefits everyone involved, said Sgt. Ron
Weir with the city's street gang unit.

"Just the information flow back and forth is a tremendous asset, for
us or them," he said. "A lot of the (gang) people we deal with here
may be moving back out of town or moving back to the reserves and
we're always utilizing (the RCMP) to assist us on a regular basis."

Weir said four major street gangs, an outlaw biker gang and several
smaller groups currently operate within Regina, with aboriginal street
gangs posing the largest problem for violence and intimidation.

"A lot of it is stemmed around the drug activities ... and a lot of
the violence that is used, it's in regards to obtaining those drugs or
protecting it," he said. "But the other thing that we deal with quite
a bit, it's the intimidation (of) witnesses and victims."

Both Plant and Weir said the majority of gangs here use the drug
trade, mainly in marijuana and cocaine, as a way to make money. Youth
are continuing to be the biggest target for recruitment, making
education and prevention all the more essential for police in fighting
organized crime, Plant said.

Firearms also continue to be a concern for police with an increase in
gun use documented in gang-related crime.

"I would say that it's growing -- not at an alarming rate, but it is
growing," Plant said. "And I think it's something that we really have
to concentrate on here."

Long guns -- often modified or sawed off -- continue to be the weapon
of choice for many Saskatchewan gangs since they're easier to find in
rural areas, Plant said. But following some major Regina break-ins
several years ago in which numerous weapons were stolen, handguns are
also commonly found in Regina gang activity, Weir said.

"I would almost say we're coming across probably about 50-50 handguns
to the long rifles that are cut down ...," he said, adding some
handguns are also coming from out of province. "But a lot of the stuff
that we're dealing with still is the bladed weapons."

While police need to continue working together to combat organized
crime, they also need communities to do their part by reporting
gang-related or other suspicious activity, Plant said.