TWENTY GANGS, Edmonton Sun

With So Many Criminal Groups In Our City, Cops Must Pick And Choose

Gang violence could "blow up" in Edmonton because there aren't enough cops
to keep tabs on the city's 20 organized crime groups, says the Criminal
Intelligence Service of Alberta.

CISA operations co-ordinator Gary Buss said a lack of resources means
police are forced to focus on gangs thought to pose the biggest public
threat, leaving others to flourish.

Edmonton Police Service gang unit Sgt. Warren Ottenbreit said the fact that
about 20 organized crime groups operate in the city means its two gang
squads have to prioritize, and each sometimes concentrate on just one group
at a time.

"We only have the capability of watching so many," said Ottenbreit. "It's
not like TV, with one person for every gang. That leaves the other groups
wide open, very much so."

CISA's annual report says there are 24 organized crime groups operating
throughout the province, including Asian-based groups, the Hells Angels,
east-European, Jamaican, Middle Eastern and aboriginal gangs.

Buss said a recent spate of violent incidents - including a string of
suspected gang-related shootings in Edmonton - could indicate tensions
between competing groups are starting to spill over, which poses a threat
to police and the public.

"Ideally, there would be sufficient resources to take on every one of these
24 groups we have identified in the province but that's just not
realistic," said Buss. "Sometimes, when you focus on priorities A and B, C
and D can blow up on you. Where are we going to be five years from now if
we don't have some resources put into organized crime?

"We are going to be in trouble."

Ottenbreit said the city's gang unit cops are not the only ones tackling
organized crime because the problem affects almost every level of policing
- - from the street up.

"And this is not just a city of Edmonton police problem, this is a
community problem," he said. "If we don't get the community involved, we
are never going to conquer it."

Buss said drug trafficking remains one of the major cash cows for organized
crime groups. He said two areas where that's becoming increasingly evident
are crystal meth labs and large-scale marijuana grow-ops.

"The information we have is that crystal meth amphetamine (large-scale
labs) are primarily run by motorbike gangs as well as some eastern European
groups," said Buss. "The majority of the large-scale marijuana grows we've
taken down in Alberta in the last 12 to 18 months have been connected to
Asian-based organized groups. But if you talk about the variety of
offences, it goes much further than drugs."

Commercial auto theft and smuggling are two other crimes in which organized
groups have become heavily involved, he said. "If there were more dedicated
resources available other groups could be taken out," said Buss. "When
groups aren't actually gone after, well, of course they are going to be
expanding their operations."