NOT MOVING TOWARDS A POLICE STATE: SNELGROVE

Local MLA Lloyd Snelgrove is defending legislation giving police more
power to seize property used in crime while bypassing the slower
criminal courts and using the civil courts system.

"It's not any attempt to give police powers to a state with an
unfettered hand," said Snelgrove. "We need to balance the system again
between the criminals and the people.

"It's like O.J. Simpson in the States where he wasn't found innocent
of the murders, he was found not guilty, on a civil case though, the
onus is on him to prove he didn't do it," he said.

The Canadian criminal justice system is based on the mantra of
innocent until proven guilty, but Snelgrove emphasizes the issue still
goes before the courts.

"We're saying this isn't really about the criminal aspect of it . we
still have to prove in court that (property) was being used (in
criminal activity)," said Snelgrove. "We still have to prove that so
it's not like there's not judicial oversight, and it's not that
there's not an appeal process."

"They call it the black Corvette in the playground at the schools,"
said Snelgrove. "We know they know to carry just enough drugs to not
get charged, we know they use minors to distribute it, we know we're
going to say next time 'guess what buddy, your car is gone.'"