DRUG LAB BUSTS OLD CRIME IDEAS

The discovery of a huge methamphetamine laboratory in Edmonton's west
end last week is a wake-up call to anyone still under the illusion
that our city is immune from the gathering danger of modern organized crime.

The lab, which police estimate was capable of producing $1-million
worth of the drug each day, would be disturbing enough just as a
warning about a particular crime and a hitherto unheralded drug problem.

According to police, clandestine meth labs are showing up in the
Edmonton area with increasing frequency. And their product is no
harmless recreational drug. Methamphetamines are highly addictive
substances that affect the central nervous system. Those who become
hooked face a long recovery process and risk nerve damage and chronic
psychosis. Overdoses can result in seizures, strokes, heart failure and
death.

But the labs are only one of many faces of a new, more sophisticated
crime world best described as "organized," although that word
unfortunately carries with it misleading images of huge mafia-style
machines, fedoras and tommy-guns.

In our city, "organized crime" means smaller, much more diverse groups that
seek to gain profit from a variety of activities. They range from
street gangs involved in drugs and prostitution to more white-collar
groups that engage in insurance and stock scams and use Internet
technology to steal credit card numbers.

The mental link to Al Capone is not completely inappropriate, however.
Increased violence is certainly part of the formula: This year alone in
Edmonton, there have been 180 violent incidents involving a weapon,
most of which are believed related to organized crime. Many will
recall the numerous gang-related killings and kidnappings that plagued our
city this past summer.

The first, obvious reaction to these changes may be a demand: "We need
more police." Certainly, Edmonton Police won't complain about that
conclusion as they head into budget deliberations. But first, surely,
we must be sure we understand the problem and how it can be met most
effectively.

Though criminal groups are often small in scale, police have good
reason to be worried about the way they operate. Many have links to
similar criminal entities in other Canadian cities and international
hubs. They are becoming more sophisticated in their use of computer
technology, often employing equipment and expertise superior to that of
law-enforcement agencies.

"The length and complexity of the investigations can make it
horrendously expensive to fight organized crime," says Edmonton's
deputy police chief Mike Bradshaw, whose own department is facing
funding problems this year that may require it to shrink by 36
officers.

"We can't just expect municipal forces to handle it on their own. It's
going to require a co-ordinated effort involving provincial and
national agencies as well."

To date, many of the organized-crime investigations in our province
have been conducted under the umbrella of the Criminal Intelligence
Service of Alberta.

The process works like this: When an investigation is warranted, a
task force is created that draws together officers from a number of
the province's law-enforcement agencies. These officers conduct the
investigation jointly over a few months and CISA provides them with
organization and training.

While effective at times, the ad hoc approach brings with it problems
of integration when officers with different backgrounds and training
are asked to work together over a relatively short period of time.
CISA rightly suggests that these difficulties could be overcome if
police forces were able to able to devote a number of officers to CISA
projects on a more permanent basis.

Average citizens can also make a difference.

Most of the time, organized crime is hidden from public view. We
notice it only when someone we know becomes a victim of drugs or
violence.

But ignorance is a bad option. To combat the problem we need to be more
aware of what is going on in our own neighbourhoods. At this very
basic level, residents can benefit from a robust program of community
policing that includes a full complement of school officers and patrol
officers.

"When police become part of the community and become role models,
there is less possibility for gang members to be recruited," says
David Finlay, the chairman of Edmonton's police commission. "We have to
make sure we have enough officers to do the job properly."

Organized crime has a huge impact on our communities. The illegal drug
culture, for example, is an enormous drain on the health system. In
addition, those who become addicted can turn to crime themselves,
committing robberies, car thefts and home invasions in order to feed
their habit. White-collar crime has the effect of driving up insurance
rates and bank charges for everyone.

Fighting this scourge is neither easy nor cheap. What's needed is a
multi-faceted approach that seeks to attack organized crime at all
levels of society it infiltrates. Undoubtedly, this will involve a
greater dedication to expensive investigative work and aggressive
prosecution. Police forces across the country need to increase their
level of co-operation. Average citizens can play their part through a
commitment to remain aware and observant in their day-to-day lives.

And ultimately, it requires a general will by citizens and governments
to make organized crime prevention a priority; and with that a system
of accountability to ensure our time, energy and dollars are being
effectively spent.