TIME TO GET TOUGH

Police chiefs look at organized crime

Calgary's police chief says it's time for an all-out war on organized crime
in Canada -- before it's too late.

"Unless we are able to actively engage all levels of government, police
agencies and the people of Canada, we will lose the war on organized
crime," Christine Silverberg told the Sun. Now is the time to fight back --
with all possible resources, she said.

Organized criminal activity is high on the agenda when Canadian police
chiefs meet for their annual conference in Edmonton starting today.

A report from the Criminal Intelligence Service Canada released Friday says
organized crime exploded in 1997 and is expected to continue growing as
criminals become even more technologically sophisticated.

The report describes how swiping a bank card to withdraw a few dollars, or
using the Internet, is the same technology making life easier for criminals
in prostitution, drug trafficking, the distribution of child pornography
and fraud.

The report blames the same technology for pushing credit card fraud up 10%
to $88 million in 1997 and counterfeit money up 26%. Silverberg said from
pornography on the Internet, to drug trafficking, technology has become a
dangerous weapon in the hands of criminals.

"There was a time when crime and criminals were localized," said
Silverberg. "Now crime knows no boundaries with cyberspace. As fast as
technology is developed, so, too, do criminals look to take advantage of it."

Silverberg has joined a growing chorus of law enforcement officials teaming
up to tackle the problem.

Solicitor General Andy Scott plans to introduce a bill requiring reporting
suspicious cash transactions, while asking police forces to share
intelligence on crime.

"We worked on a strategy with the police forces which priorizes organized
crime," said Scott.

"Drugs are the first priority. There is a legislative framework in place --
but we need suspicious financial transaction legislation, which I hope to
present this fall."

Police forces -- including Alberta's -- have worked for more than a year on
strategies to allow them to better work together in the battle against
increasingly organized criminals.

Tomorrow, Scott is to release the results of an independent study on the
effects of organized crime in Canada.

The CISC report described five organized crime groups in Canada:
Asian-based, East European-based, aboriginal-based, the Hell's Angels and
other outlaw motorcycle gangs, and so-called traditional organized crime
groups such as the Sicilian Mafia.

But the war won't be easily won because organized crime groups have the
edge said RCMP Staff Sgt. J.P. Levesque of CISC. "When dealing with
organized crime, you're not dealing with street gangs. The Hell's Angels,
for example, have chapters in more than 20 countries.

"We have to play by the rules; they don't."

Checked-by: Mike Gogulski