ALDERMAN LAUDS COP STRATEGY

The past successes of a provincial policing group in fighting
organized crime are proof unified efforts can bring gangs to their
knees, says a Calgary alderman.

Ald. Diane Colley-Urquhart, who sits on the board of the Alberta Law
Enforcement Response Team (ALERT), said the co-ordinated policing
model is the way of the future because it works so effectively.

"When we do work effectively, we take organized crimes to their
knees, and we get these massive drug operations down," she said.

Colley-Urquhart is praising the collaborative work of police
organizations across the province, whose main task is to combat
organized crimes.

"This is the most admired policing model in all of Canada, there's no
other model like ALERT to fight organized crime," she said.

The group seized and restrained properties to the tune of $5,592,260
and confiscated $832,136 in cash, said an annual report recently released.

Officers took massive amount of drugs off the street with a total
estimated value of $104,249,569, which is $19.4 million more than the
previous year.

Out of that total amount of drug seizure, about 80,000 were marijuana
plants valued at $98,988,750, more than 128 kg of marijuana estimated
at $1,921,250, and more than 30 kg of cocaine valued at $2,411,648.

They also seized 29,210 tablets of ecstasy valued at $292,095 and 7
kg of methamphetamine with a street value of $560,000.

Officers laid 3,040 charges against 853 people, which is a 45%
increase over the previous year. Colley-Urquhart said when police
take down operations of organized crime it means human trafficking,
smuggling and prostitution also take the hit.

"Drugs fuel the gangs and organized crime, and organized crime work
in every city throughout the province and rural Alberta," she said.

"They work without borders and that's exactly how our police have to work."

About 60 Calgary cops are seconded to ALERT and they work only on
organized crimes.

Brian Gibson, chairman of the ALERT board, said as the co-ordinated
policing enters its fifth year it's facing more challenges.

"The face of criminal enterprises in Alberta continues to evolve and
change and so too must our investigative techniques and expertise,"
said Gibson.

Five policing units - Calgary, Edmonton, Lethbridge, Medicine Hat and
Camrose - and all the RCMP detachments in Alberta and the Alberta
Sheriffs work with ALERT.