TACKLING THE BLIGHT OF ORGANIZED CRIME

In any discussion of crime, particularly Vancouver's epidemic of property
crime and drug addiction, people note that we must address the root causes
of the problem.

There are, of course, many root causes, but one that's often overlooked is
organized crime. Experts have noted that drug trafficking in the Lower
Mainland is controlled almost exclusively by the Hells Angels and other
crime syndicates. As such, organized criminals fuel addicts' drug habits,
who, in turn, commit much of Vancouver's property crime to pay for their
habits.

Nevertheless, crime syndicates tend to fly under the radar because they've
learned to keep a low profile. But the evidence of their deeds is all
around, and any attempt to remedy our crime problems must begin with
neutralizing organized crime.

As The Vancouver Sun's series, Inside Crime Inc., has documented over the
past several weeks, that's easier said than done. Crime syndicates are
highly sophisticated, and they use business principles and high-tech
equipment to complete national and international deals.

Consequently, police must use equally sophisticated methods to gather
intelligence on organized crime. And investigations are invariably
expensive and time-consuming affairs.

Unfortunately, even after all the police work is completed, Crown attorneys
have a dismal record of successfully prosecuting members of the Hells
Angels and other organized criminals.

The Sun's review of court records revealed that, of 53 prosecutions in the
past decade, only 20, or 38 per cent, resulted in convictions on at least
some of the charges. The rest ended in either acquittals or the dismissal
or staying of charges.

It's not surprising, then, that many people see the Hells Angels as
untouchable, free to go about their business with impunity.

In Quebec, people had a similar view until recently. A biker war between
the Hells Angels and the Rock Machine during the 1990s left more than 150
people dead, including 11-year-old Daniel Desrochers. And in 1998, Maurice
(Mom) Boucher, the notorious leader of the Nomads chapter of the Quebec
Hells Angels, strolled out of the court after being acquitted of murdering
two prison guards.

However, these events convinced Quebec justice officials it was time to
declare war on the Hells Angels. The first step was to improve coordination
of law enforcement personnel: In 1999, Quebec formed "mixed regional teams"
of police officers from 30 separate police departments across the province.

Then, the province brought prosecutors on board. A dedicated team of more
than 45 Crown prosecutors was assembled to deal exclusively with the menace
of outlaw bikers and crime syndicates.

The team benefited enormously from the wide expertise of its members and
prosecutors worked closely with police officers involved in gathering
information. This allowed prosecutors to provide advice to police and also
streamlined the process, since they no longer had to wait until police
finished an investigation before reviewing the evidence.

The results of the Quebec project have been remarkable: Police conducted
several massive raids, arrested and charged a lot of people, which led to
an unprecedented number of convictions in court. The Quebec Hells Angels
have been put on the run, with 67 of the province's 115 full-patch Angels
now behind bars (compared to only one of 95 in B.C.), including Mom
Boucher, who was convicted at his retrial on murder charges.

Organized criminals are no longer seen as untouchable in Quebec. As a
result, Ontario is now considering developing a similar team of police and
prosecutors.

British Columbia has developed some coordinated responses, such as the
Organized Crime Agency of B.C., which develops partnerships with police and
intelligence agencies to "suppress and disrupt organized crime."

But the agency operates on a limited budget, and B.C. doesn't have anything
approaching the Quebec model. However, B.C. Attorney-General Geoff Plant
said he's willing to set up coordinated prosecution teams on an ad hoc basis.

Such prosecution teams would be a good start, as is Solicitor-General Rich
Coleman's decision to follow Ontario's lead and introduce civil proceeds of
crime legislation that would make it easier to seize property from
organized criminals.

Such measures should be complemented by further coordination between
provincial and federal authorities in intelligence gathering and law
enforcement.

Finally, since organized crime is a worldwide problem, the feds must
closely coordinate their efforts with other countries.

Given the sophistication and international scope of organized crime,
syndicates won't be brought down tomorrow.

But by coordinating our responses and by matching the sophistication of the
syndicates, we can at least begin to reduce the blight on our communities.