PAPERWORK FOR GANG TRIALS GRINDS OTHER INVESTIGATIONS TO A HALT: RCMP

Disclosing Evidence To Defence Can Take Months Of Work

RCMP officers have to do so much paperwork once a gangster goes to
trial that their investigation of other organized crime groups
essentially grinds to a halt, according to an internal RCMP report
obtained by The Vancouver Sun.

The report, prepared for Deputy Commissioner Gary Bass last year,
says the biggest burden facing officers is disclosure: the legal
requirement that police and prosecutors hand over virtually all the
evidence they have to the defence.

"Disclosure demands in support of the prosecution requires the
dedication of resources which cannot be used to support other
investigations or to develop new ones," states the report, written by
Supt. A.J. Armstrong, head of the RCMP's criminal intelligence section in B.C.

"In essence, the continuation of enforcement action against some
organized crime groups comes to a virtual standstill while police
resources are focused on activities related to the prosecution. These
groups are able to continue to operate with impunity while under
charge during the court process."

In an interview Thursday, Staff Sgt. Dave Goddard of the RCMP's drug
section said when a major gang investigation heads to trial, several
officers who worked on the case must typically stay behind for
several months to work on nothing but disclosing evidence to the defence.

"That process can take months ... and it's a very arduous task police
have to go through," he said.

One of the reasons the work takes so much time, he said, is that
every piece of paper has to be vetted to ensure it doesn't disclose
police techniques or the names of informants.

In some cases, said Goddard, units are still working on disclosing
evidence from the last case by the time arrests are made on the next one.

"There's a domino effect, obviously," he said. "And, let's face it,
crime doesn't stop."

Goddard said the force is working on ways to speed up the disclosure process.

One is bringing in civilian staff to handle some of the more
administrative tasks.

The other is to start getting files in order earlier on in an investigation.

The internal RCMP report, titled The Nature and Scope of Organized
Crime in British Columbia, also expresses frustration that judges in
B.C. don't seem to give out tough enough sentences to deter gang members.

"Lenient sentences for drugs, weapons, gang and violence-related
offences tend to be far more lenient in British Columbia than other
parts of North America, resulting in creating an attractive theatre
for organized crime groups to operate," it states.