ORGANIZED CRIME CHALLENGE A WINNER

VICTORIA - NDP leader Carole James has picked a political winner in
challenging the Liberals on organized crime.

James launched her attack recently, calling on Premier Gordon Campbell
to spend more on crime-fighting and demanding a public inquiry into
our enforcement efforts.

The move was opportunistic, reminding the public of the current
mysterious scandal swirling around the federal and provincial Liberals.

But it's also a good issue for the NDP. The gap between the Liberals'
get-tough rhetoric and their actions is wide, and criminals are
getting a break from Liberal budget cuts.

The NDP can't be accused of fear-mongering. Solicitor General Rich
Coleman has warned repeatedly of the growing threat from organized
crime.

And after the raids on the legislature offices of top Liberal aides
and senior federal Liberals, the RCMP warned that organized crime's
tentacles were reaching into every corner of the province.

James pointed out that the government's tough talk hasn't been backed
up with action.

Specifically, she called on the Liberals to lift a three-year funding
freeze imposed on the Organized Crime Agency.

The agency is the main police weapon against gangs and organized
crime, but its budget has been frozen by the Liberals since the
election. The agency warned in its last annual report that the freeze
has left it unable to do its job.

The Liberals have also failed to deliver - so far - on an election
promise to give municipalities 75 per cent of the revenue from traffic
fines. That would be a $50-million boost for their policing efforts.
(Premier Gordon Campbell said the Liberals only promised the change
during their first term, and they will deliver before the 2005 election.)

James also called on the government to abandon plans to cut the
solicitor general's budget, which is slated for a 19-per-cent
reduction in next month's budget.That includes $20 million from the
budget for public safety. It's a good issue for the NDP.

The Liberals have said crime - particularly organized crime - is a
serious problem. They've called on Ottawa to come up with more money
and tougher laws.

So it's hard for them to come up with a logical defence of why they
are cutting or freezing budgets for the people who are on the front
line. Even those who don't agree that more enforcement is the best
solution have to wonder about the Liberals' lack of
consistency.

James also called for a public inquiry into organized crime, by
someone like Justice Wally Oppal. She thinks we could examine our
current efforts, look at what people are doing in other places and
come up with a new plan in time for the 2005 budget.

There is a need for some sort of review of our response to organized
crime, but it needs to be broader and more informal than a public
inquiry, and move us way beyond the usual responses.

Take drugs. The marijuana trade is considered a key driver of the
current crime world. Our solution tends to be more police, more raids
and a wish for tougher sentences.

But a study in the Canadian Medical Association Journal last year
suggests we waste most of the $465 million we spend on drug
enforcement in Canada. Big arrests or seizures make headlines. But
they change nothing for the producers or consumers.

Back in 2000 police claimed a major victory in the war on heroin when
Vancouver police seized 99 kilograms of heroin and Toronto police
grabbed another 57 kilos. Some six million doses snatched from the
supply chain. And nothing happened on the street.

The supply stayed the same. Heroin prices actually fell slightly.
Users didn't cut back. Crime didn't go down.

Attacking the supply - as the U.S. has shown - isn't the answer. It's
past time for a major rethink.

But meanwhile, James has shown a deft touch with a damaging issue for
the Liberals.