CON AIR A SYMBOL OF CRIME FAILURE

Crossing a provincial border shouldn't be the next best thing to a
"get-out-of-jail-free card." But for thousands of offenders, it is.
They know the system. Get arrested and you will likely be released
while awaiting trial. Take off and a warrant will be issued for your arrest.

But unless the crime is very serious, the warrant will include a
loophole. The jurisdiction that issued it will only pay to have the
offender transported back to face justice if he's caught within the province.

That's bad news for centres like Vancouver and Victoria, which
attract fleeing felons who return to their criminal activities here.

Even if they're apprehended, there is no way to send them back to
face outstanding charges.

Police in the two cities are trying to address the problem with the
"Con Air" program, which covers the cost of sending suspects back to
face outstanding charges.

It's troubling that Stephen Harper is announcing plans to "get tough"
on crime, but his government -- like those before it -- has failed to
plug the hole in the system created by non-returnable warrants.

Just as it's troubling that efforts to send offenders in Victoria
back to face the charges depend on contributions. The provincial
government is considering a belated funding request; it should simply say yes.

This is not a new issue. Back in 1997, the Union of B.C.
Municipalities called on the federal government and provinces to
limit the use of non-returnable warrants and establish national standards.

In 1998, the Canadian Association of Police Chiefs said the problem
was "continuing to subvert justice while exacting both a considerable
toll on society and increasing the strain on limited police
resources." Its proposals included a transport system and national
cost-sharing agreement.

Both make sense. But it appears some jurisdictions see this as a way
to solve crime problems by exporting them. The eight people
transported from Victoria so far include career criminals wanted in
other provinces in connection with a home invasion, assaulting a
police officer and a drive-by shooting. None of those should result
in a non-returnable warrant.

The Vancouver Police Department researched the problem in 2006 and
found that in one month officers had contacts with 593 people with
outstanding non-returnable warrants from other provinces.

Almost 60 per cent of them had two to five outstanding criminal
charges, with about 10 per cent of the charges involving violence. On
average, they had 20 prior convictions. About three-quarters were drug addicts.

People willing to flee tend to be those without jobs, housing or
attachments and a criminal record that makes it likely they will face
jail time for their offences. Those are also the kind of people
likely to commit multiple crimes in their new communities. An
offender sent from Victoria this week had almost 300 contacts with
police since fleeing here in 2003.

Other measures could help. Last year, New Democrat MP Dawn Black
introduced a private member's bill that would have made it a separate
offence to flee a province to avoid charges, earning offenders
additional jail time. The government failed to support it.

Rhetoric about getting tough on crime and sending 14-year-olds to
jail for life might score political points, but it will do nothing to
reduce the real criminal problems, mostly drug-fuelled property
crimes, plaguing Canadians.

That will take a range of approaches, from ending addicts' daily hunt
for drug money to introducing community courts that offer a choice --
change your life or go to jail.

Removing persistent offenders is part of the solution. Closing the
loophole that encourages them to skip town -- and communities to
export their criminals -- would be a useful step.