ORGANIZED CRIME IS A PROVINCIAL BATTLE

Smaller Communities Experience Trickle-Down Effect Of Illegal Activities

While gangs and organized crime are still more of a big city phenomenon,
Lethbridge and other smaller communities have experienced a trickle-down
effect from the illicit groups and their activities -- something a more
collaborative approach to policing throughout the province is hoped to combat.

"The gang problems for us are not that great, they do influence us," said
Insp. Tom McKenzie, who attended an Edmonton meeting with Solicitor General
Harvey Cenaiko and officials from the province's seven municipal police
services earlier this week.

"We have seen relationships that have been developed. We have seen the
influence of meth labs, we have seen, certainly, grow operations and we are
impacted daily with the trafficking of crack cocaine, cocaine, marijuana
and methamphetamine, to a lesser degree. (That reflects) liaisons or
relationships with gangs or organized crime groups out of Calgary and
Edmonton, into eastern parts of the country, B.C. and into the States."

McKenzie explained initiatives to fight organized crime in bigger cities,
such as the Integrated Response to Organized Crime, have forced illicit
operations to expand to smaller cities, towns and villages.

"There's anonymity in the smaller communities and the rural areas."

To target the problem, the Solicitor General is seeking budget approval
that would increase police manpower across the province as well as other
strategies to collaborate their efforts.

Locally, McKenzie says that could mean Lethbridge regional police providing
more assistance including tactical support, bomb disposal and other
specialized services, to smaller police departments in southern Alberta.

"We have been able to assist Taber on a few occasions with bomb disposal
and we have other services we might be able to spread out into the southern
Alberta area that would assist agencies and also perhaps the RCMP."

The push for more intelligence-led, collaborative policing could also mean
additional government-funded positions in Lethbridge but McKenzie cautioned
discussions "are very preliminary."

"We could see an increase of manpower for the Lethbridge Regional Police
Service based on funding from the government."

In the meantime, McKenzie says the RCMP is assisting the police service
expand its intelligence unit.

"We have a two-man intelligence office and we're working with the RCMP who
are assisting us with putting another member in. . . to look at organized
crime activity in a global sense for the province, but also in the city."

McKenzie said during the meeting, Cenaiko also discussed initiatives to
create a number of police teams that would work throughout the province as
well as a council that would meet quarterly to discuss decisions and issues
"at the forefront of policing."

Other topics included regionalization and a request for proposals to create
a provincial police training academy.

Lethbridge regional police, Medicine Hat, Taber and the Blood Tribe police,
in partnership with Lethbridge Community College, have already established
a facility locally -- the Centre for Advancement in Community Justice --
that fits the bill and will begin training an inaugural class of recruits
in May.