TORONTO CRIMINALS MOVING TO NIAGARA

Southern Ontario Police Chiefs Seeing Results of Successful Fight
Against Gangs and Guns in Toronto: It's On Their Doorstep

Niagara Regional Police Chief Wendy Southall is pleased that Toronto
police have been successful in fighting guns and gangs in their city.

It's the aftermath of that success she isn't so thrilled about.

Southall says criminals finding it too hot in Toronto have moved on
to other municipalities in the GTA and Golden Horseshoe, including
the Niagara region.

"Toronto had the funding to do both reactive and proactive programs,"
Southall said Wednesday. "Unfortunately that has pushed some of that
criminal activity our way."

Southall said over the last year, the NRP has seen an increase in
crimes committed by people with ties to Toronto-area gangs. Murders
committed in Niagara in 2006, including some in St. Catharines, have
similar ties to people connected with gang activity that was once
exclusive to Toronto.

The result has not just been more work for NRP officers, but a more
complex caseload.

"So what is happening now is that the chiefs from the big 12 police
departments around the GTA and the Golden Horseshoe are telling the
province that we need more funding so that we can launch our own
proactive programs with respect to this and deal with it," Southall said.

In January 2006, the provincial government committed $51 million to
expand the Guns and Gangs Task Force, most of it going to Toronto.

Terry McLaren, Peterbourgh police chief and president of the Ontario
Association of Chiefs, says the increased enforcement is like putting
pressure on a bubble - as the pressure increases the bubble spreads out.

He says the result is more drugs, guns and gang activity in his city
and places like Windsor, London and Ottawa.

"We all, as police across this province, commend Toronto for the
initiative they've taken to help control the guns and gangs," said McLaren.

"But every police chief you talk to in this province will tell you
that has created problems for the rest of the communities."

Southall said she recently joined the chiefs of the Hamilton, Halton
and Brantford police departments at a meeting with Community Safety
and Correctional Services Minister Monte Kwinter to discuss the issue
and request more funding.

She said Kwinter was receptive to their requests. Business plans have
been sent to his office and Southall expects to receive an answer
before the end of March.

Southall says if the NRP can get more funding, the service can
dedicate more resources toward the guns and gangs problems, including
conducting more checks for weapons coming across the U.S.-Canada border.