HOW CRIMINALS WILL ROB YOU IN 25 YEARS

Imagine an intruder breaking into your home without ever smashing a window
or jimmying a door.

That's the sort of crime Waterloo Region police chief Larry Gravill
envisions when he looks 25 years into the future.

He expects police will be using advanced methods to nab computer-savvy
burglars armed with sophisticated advancements in technology.

"Rather than come through your door and take your passport and valuables,
they can seize your identity in another way,'' Gravill said in a recent
interview. "They can steal who you are and what you are doing and duplicate
your credit cards without even risking going through the door.''

Today, regional police officers spend countless hours investigating break
and enters in homes and businesses.

Last year, there were 3,621 break-ins -- nearly 10 a day.

But by 2027, there may often be no physical evidence of a thief ever being
in a home, said Gravill. The head of the local police force says cyber
crime, also known as Internet crime, will be pervasive.

"If your system is open to the world of Internet, you will have people who
will have the ability to creep into your line,'' he said.

Staff Sgt. Don Miller of the local RCMP detachment said his office will
likely have its own department of cyber crime specialists in 25 years.

Today, cyber crime is investigated at the London, Ont., headquarters of the
RCMP.

Det. Const. Eugene Silva of Waterloo regional police has been seconded to
the London RCMP to learn more about the complexities of Internet crime.

Silva said that in the years to come police forces will have to purchase
special computer equipment and train officers dedicated to Internet crime.

Gravill said police forces across the province will also focus more on
working together, such as joint forces investigating outlaw bikers.

Locally, three regional police officers and two RCMP officers monitor
activities by members of the Hells Angels. They also work with members of
other forces across the province in the Biker Enforcement Unit.

Members of about a dozen police forces, including 25 officers from Waterloo
Region, joined forces this week in provincewide raids on the Outlaws
motorcycle gang.

Gravill said he foresees more joint co-operation, especially on terrorism
activities.

And he said the word terrorism -- which for many conjures up images of the
collapse of the World Trade Center, religious fundamentalism and political
fanaticism -- will take on a broader definition.

Terrorism will encompass hate crime, gang-related activities and organized
crime, Gravill said.

Since the anti-terrorism bill became law in December, local police have
established a special squad of five officers. Gravill said the
anti-terrorism squad will be involved in intelligence gathering.

"We can't sit smugly on this side of the border and think, well, it's the
Statue of Liberty or the Golden Gate Bridge that are the focus,'' he said.

ORGANIZED CRIME

Gravill expects connections will frequently develop between organized crime
and terrorists.

"The linkage will get real blurry, with terrorists destabilizing
infrastructure that opens up avenues for criminals. Organized criminals are
opportunists."

Another issue on the horizon is whether marijuana use will be
decriminalized or even become legal.

Gravill said he expects marijuana will be decriminalized and supports a
recent Senate committee report suggesting people found with tiny amounts
should be hit with a fine.

"First-time offenders don't need to carry a criminal record around their
neck,'' he said.

Decriminalizing marijuana could lead to outdoor cafes such as those in
Vancouver, where people smoke pot without arrest.

"I hope not. It flies in the face of any health concern,'' said Gravill,
who does not advocate changing the law.

Gravill draws the line at decriminalization. He said it would be "ludicrous
to legalize something so harmful.

"God forbid if legislators ever make it legal. We wouldn't save any
resources because you would still have deviant behaviour and we would focus
as many resources on education and awareness. We couldn't let up at all,''
he said.

"To legalize it just because we spend a lot of resources on it, it's like
giving up."

Fred Desroches, a sociology professor at St. Jerome's University College,
disagrees, although he doesn't foresee legalization in the near future.

Desroches, who has conducted research on drug traffickers, said most
scholars agree marijuana should be regulated just as tobacco and alcohol
have been, but he doesn't see it happening in five, 10 or 25 years.

"Unless the U.S. moves in that direction -- which I can't see happening --
we can't move in that direction,'' he said. "The U.S. takes a very moralist
stance. They don't take a practical stance.''

Marijuana could be decriminalized in Canada, especially if Britain, which
is considering the same idea, goes ahead, he said.

Despite dire predictions from some law enforcement officers,
decriminalizing marijuana will have little impact, except to lower the
price of pot, Desroches predicts.

"Not a lot of crime is attached to marijuana. People don't get addicted and
rob stores to get a fix of marijuana.''

Miller of the RCMP said he disagrees with decriminalization and legalizing
pot, although he thinks Canada might decriminalize marijuana in 10 years.

"Society can't handle liquor, cigarettes, gambling, and now we are adding
one more vice,'' he said.

Miller said lawmakers shouldn't think that decriminalizing pot will free up
police resources.

"Police time will increase in another area, enhancing the ability of people
selling it and creating a bigger market for them,'' he said.

Whatever changes are in store for law enforcement, local citizens will
still expect police to respond to a call of assault or theft, said Gravill.

Police will continue to be visible, but the way in which officers respond
to service calls could change.

Just as people involved in minor car accidents must report the collision to
the Police Reporting Centre, certain crimes may result in residents going
to the police detachment or e-mailing an officer about the crime.

Police could also return to photo radar to monitor speeders or install
surveillance cameras in certain areas of the city rather than patrols, said
Gravill. "Just because the population sign changes, doesn't mean the number
of officers will increase at the same ratio."