CRIME GROUPS BECOMING MULTICULTURAL

Skills More Valuable Than Ethnic Ties: Report

Organized crime groups are increasingly reflecting Canada's
multicultural society by ignoring the ethnic ties that used to define
them, according to a large coalition of police forces.

In its annual review of organized crime in this country, the Criminal
Intelligence Service Canada (CISC) says more recently formed
organizations appear to value skill more than background.

"Just as Canada has become a more multicultural society, so too have
many organized crime groups," says the report, released yesterday.
"Multicultural criminal organizations are increasingly evident,
particularly among newly established and emerging groups, often as a
reflection of the multi-ethnic demographics of their locale."

Classic examples of ethnic-based organizations often listed by police
forces include Italian, Asian, Aboriginal Peoples and eastern
European-based groups.

Although cultural ties remain an influence in the broader

organized crime landscape, the report adds, "multi-ethnic groups can
be based on the criminal capabilities of members rather than on their
ethnic or cultural heritage."

Members with capabilities and ties to financial industries are cited
as being especially valuable, given their ability to move seamlessly
between the legitimate and criminal marketplaces.

"At this crossover, there are individuals who operate in each
environment, often simultaneously," the report reads, pointing out how
important skills such as money laundering and concealing proceeds of
crime are to criminal groups. "While these individuals may be
recruited from a wide range of professions, they represent only a
small percentage of their peers."

As more groups embrace financial fraud, those money-handling skills
become even more handy.

"Payment card fraud, in which a single crime group can victimize
hundreds of people, remains a serious financial threat in Canada," the
report says, adding Canadian banks were dinged for $270.5 million in
credit and debit fraud in 2005.

Criminal Intelligence Service Canada is an umbrella intelligence
organization made up of 380 law enforcement agencies across the
country, which analyses and disseminates data for its members. Major
contributors include the RCMP and Canada's largest municipal police
forces.

Spokespeople for both the CISC and RCMP couldn't provide an official
for comment yesterday.

The report comes as police increasingly complain they can't keep up
with the 800 or so organized crime groups operating in Canada.

RCMP Commissioner Giuliano Zaccardelli told the standing Senate
committee on national security and defence in May the Mounties can
only fight a small fraction of organized crime.

"At this point in time, our best guess is that we're able to tackle
maybe a third of what we know is out there, in terms of serious
organized crime," Commissioner Zaccardelli said at the time, adding
that was probably a generous estimate. "And remember, when I say
one-third, that's of what we know."

Last week, government documents obtained by CanWest News Service
revealed that the RCMP squad that tracks down dirty money and goods
obtained through crime couldn't pursue the majority of cases it knows
about. It is estimated that up to $55 billion is laundered in Canada
annually.

"Many cases of missed opportunities were raised," an evaluation of the
integrated proceeds of crime unit said. "All of the (officers in
charge) were able to provide detailed reports of cases that had not
been pursued, or for which the number of targets were limited to only
a few when many more should have been pursued."

Trends identified by the CISC report suggest that tracking crime
groups and their activities will only get more difficult in the
future, as new technology opens new fronts in the battle.

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