PROVINCEWIDE POLICE FORCE WILL TACKLE ORGANIZED CRIME

British Columbia is getting a new provincewide police unit to tackle
organized crime, Solicitor-General John Les said Wednesday.

The RCMP, municipal police, the Organized Crime Agency and other
government agencies will have members on the new Combined Forces
Special Enforcement Unit.

Les said the aim is to investigate, prosecute and dismantle organized crime.

"There are integrated organized crime units in Ontario and Quebec,
but these are regional or city-based," he said in a news release.

"This new provincewide unit sets the standard for other provinces and
allows us to take effective action to deal with sophisticated and
well-financed criminal networks."

Bev Busson, the deputy RCMP commissioner for British Columbia, said
the new approach will let police reach across jurisdictions, sharing
intelligence as well as enforcement resources.

The 95-member unit will be based in the Vancouver area with a
satellite office in Victoria.