POLICE ORDER REVIEW OF AGENT'S CASE

MPs Urge Inquiry Into Alleged Abuse Of Witness Protection Program

The RCMP has ordered a review of facts surrounding a former
informant-turned-agent over allegations that he potentially abused
the Witness Protection Program.

Many of the man's activities were reported to be in Victoria.

Raf Souccar, assistant commissioner of federal and international
operations, ordered the review after a CanWest News Service article
detailed the story of Richard Young, a man who allegedly supplied
false information and later killed someone as a protected witness,
said RCMP spokesman Martin Blais. The review is to be conducted by
RCMP officers in British Columbia, said Blais.

Opposition parties are calling on the Conservative government to
answer "disturbing questions" raised over allegations of the
program's potential abuse, as well as concerns over its secrecy and
lack of accountability.

"We don't know if there's systemic issues here, or if it's isolated,"
said Liberal public safety critic Sue Barnes. "I think it raises some
disturbing questions about the operations of the Witness Protection Program."

NDP public safety critic Joe Comartin wants the federal government to
launch an independent inquiry into the case.

The concerns come after a CanWest News Service article detailed the
story of Young, a man who allegedly provided false information about
what the RCMP believed was a major drug dealer in Victoria while
acting as an informant.

The man was later promoted to a paid agent, despite doubts that had
been raised about his credibility by a police polygraph specialist.

After participating in an RCMP initiated drug "buy and bust" in 2001,
Young was put in the Witness Protection Program. He was later
convicted of killing a person, but because he's a protected witness,
no details of the case can be published or released.

Now, opposition parties are speaking out about what they say are
indications the Witness Protection Program is too secretive and may
be rife with abuses the public is never told about.

"I think a number of us for a long time have felt uncomfortable with
the fact it's just the police services that makes the decision on
whether somebody's going to be allowed in this program," Comartin said.

He said the protection program, which costs between $2 million and $3
million a year, is not accountable and must be altered to include the
participation of judges, so police forces aren't solely responsible
for choosing who is allowed in the protection program or promoted
from RCMP informant to agent.

"Oversight in itself is not sufficient. We need actual intervention
by judicial authorities as the process is ongoing -- not after the
fact," Comartin said . "I want to prevent the abuse and the only way
you can do that is to have the intervention before the process starts.

Both Comartin and Barnes said they plan to raise the issue at the
House of Commons public safety committee in order to determine
whether the Witness Protection Program has widespread problems.
Barnes said she wants officials from the program to appear before the
committee. "At this point, we don't have sufficient information," she said.