4

Crime fight needs funding

IN the wake of the
arrest of Philip Tsang,
the former CLEU spe-
cial constable charged
with criminal breach
of trust and obstruc-
tion of justice, the
attorney general
appointed a “blue rib-
bon” panel to investi-
gate how we fight
organized crime here
and to look at ways we
could do it better.

The panel is made up of
former Vancouver police
chief Bob Stewart, former
RCMP commercial crime
investigator Richard
Bergman, and former
deputy attorney general and
ombudsman Stephen Owen,
An interesting mix.

But is any of this any
more than smoke and mir-
rors? Mcthinks not.

Just a few months ago
Attorney General Ujjal
Dosanjh reacted to reports
in the media abour the
insidious and pervasive
activities of the Helis Angels
outlaw motorcycle gang.

He said publicly that he
would move immediately to
take action against the
group. What did he actually
do? Nothing.

In fact, a specific report
was written by several police
experts outlining a plan of
how to take on the bikers.

The plan was described
to me asa “blueprint,” so
precise was its nature.

It was written as a
response to the AG’s com-
ments, to show him there
was 2 way.

But did the AG take the
report and act on it? Hardly.
Apparently it was too expen-
sive.

Too expensive to take

-action on what is arguably

the single biggest organized
crime problem we, as a soci-

. ety, have. -

The NDP can spend

crime and
punishment

money like they are “shovel-
ling it off a truck,” to quote
our very awn boy premier,
Glen Clark. They shovel it
to their union pats and
shovel something else

But they can’t spend the
money required to effective-
ly fight organized crime.

When making his public
pronouncements, Dosanjh
made out like he was just
learning how significant the
problem was and, now
armed with the knowledge,
he was going to take action.

Oh, stop it!

He is more than ade-
quately informed. It's only
when the public becomes
informed that he is spurred
to action.

However ineffective that
action usually turns out to
be is incidental.

But he is seen to be
doing something. And that
is, 1 believe, exactly what
this panel is about.

A federal organization
called Criminal Intelligence
Services Canada (CISC)
puts out a report every year
that is filed with the House
of Commons and is provid-
ed to every provincial attor-
ney general as a matter of
course,

Indeed, CISC has a
branch in every province. In
B.C., the branch is housed
in the CLEU offices, funded
and administered by this
AG,

In the 1997 report on
organized crime, CISC said,
“Organized crime is one of
the most insidious forces in
the world today.

“Its influence transcends

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both physical and political
boundaries, and is felt in all
countries and in all fields of
human endcavor,

“Historically, organized
crime insinuates itself into
industry and the financial
sector, becoming an integral
part of both local and global
economies.

“It forges alliances with
nationalist and extremist
groups and, in some cases,
actually infiltrates the struc-
ture of legitimate govern-
ment, eflectively becoming a
political power in its own
right.

“Despite the best efforts
of law enforcement, orga-
nized crime grows ever
m owerful, with an

ented potential for
corruption.”

This is a fairly general
statement, of course. But
one needs to read on to dis-
cern how this concerns us,
as Canadians.

“Virtually every major
criminal group in the world
is active in this country and
many are well established,
their roots sunk deep in
Canadian society and the
Canadian economy,” states
the ‘Feport.

“Organized crime has a
profound effect on Canadian
society, even for those
whose lives are not touched
directly by criminal activity.

“The social costs of drug
trafficking and abuse, for
example, manifest them-
selves in violence and rising
urban crime rates.

“Government revenue
losses due to contraband
smuggling are estimated in
the millions of dollars, while
legitimate business is forced
to compete with a powerful
and growing, black market,”
concludes the experts.

The report goes on to
discuss, in derail, the various
groups involved and their

specific involvement and

Hells Angels and Asian
gangs.

The Oppal Commission
on Policing studied the is
atlength. Now four years
after his report was deliv-
ered, what's been done?
Nothing.

So, really, what is lett to
study?

The Tsang episode must
surely underline how inef-
fective the current structure
has been in its task.

When asked to describe
what CLEU has actually
accomplished in the last five
Y
investigation, arrest and
prosecution could be cited.

One CLEU officer, in a
confidential discussion with
me, said, “You can go back
10 years and the answer's

about the leade

CLEUV, in eae the
leadership, or lack thereof,
of the director, Peter
Engstad, who was appointed
to the position in 1987.

We are losing the battle
against organized crime.
CLEU is in disarray under
ineffective leadership. The
NDP won’t spend the
moncy needed to adequately
fund the fight.

Those are the answers.
We don’t need a “blue rib-
bon pane!” to figure that
out.

What we need is a com-
mitment from the AG that
he will actually undertake to
take up the fight and com-
mit the requisite resources.

Oh, and put someone in
charge of CLEU who actu-
ally knows what he’s doing.

Anything else is simple
window dressing to make
the public think he is doing
something.

— lknight@direct.ca

SAnuto

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N. Van maritime
museum is a must

Dear Editor:

Re: Undersea complex proposed (June 19 News).

As a resident of the Lower Lonsdale area, | applaud Phil
Nuytten’s development proposal for the former Versatile
Shipyards site. This novel idea is a wonderful solution to the
questionable future of this site and the emphasis on local
history and the marine industry is most fitting.

Recently, | read in a Southam paper about the uncertain
future of the Maritime Museum and the St. Roch national
historic site in Kitsilano. Surely P’'m not the only one to real-
ize that the rians for the former Versatile site would also be
ideal for housing these facilities and the St. Roch could
return to the community where she was built.

By including the Maritime Museum/St. Roch, Mr.
Nuytten could more easily justify his request for a federal
grant.

Mike Andrews
mike_andrews@bc.sympatico.ca

Viewer wants respect

Dear Editor:

Why is it when a company like Rogers Cable gets a
monopoly in an area they start to abuse their customers.

I am referring to their advertising on Channel 10. It is so
repetitive and mind numbing that it could be used for psy-
chological warfare. I chink that we should tic up some of
these Rogers people and make them watch Channel 10 non-
sto for 24 hours and see how they feel. Instead of ramming

lown our throats they should treat us as educated people
should be treated, with respect. We get the picture.

John MacDonald
West Vancouver

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