Wednesday, April 12, 2000 ~ North Shore News ~- 7 Funding fiddied while organized crime grows LAST August, at the annual convention of the Canadian Chiefs of Police, the RCMP announced the forma- tion of the Organized Crime Directorate under the guidance of Deputy Commissioner Giuliano “Zack” Zaccardelli. In choosing that forum to make the announcement, with all the attendant media atientien, the RCMP demonstrated just how sig- nificant the problem has become. Last week Zaccardelli said in an interview with the national media that orga- nized crime is threatening our democracy. “For the first time, orga- nized crime, serious criminal organizations, are actually threatening the democratic institutions of this country and the values that we hold dear,” said Zaccardelli. “It is a real threat to the way of life that we have in this country. It is that seri- ous.” Now this statement comes as no shock to me or to regular readers of this space. The ramifications of organized crime and the inaction of various levels of our governments have long been 4 bone of contention with me. Unfortunately, ncither the federai nor p:ovincial 14540 Riverside Road ¢res ony) . 33286 South Fraser Way . . crime and punishinent government scems to give a tinker’s damn about the problem. En fact, their mas- terful inactivity smacks more of condoning the situation rather than seeking to com- bat the problem. Last week, our newly minted provincial Attorney General, Andrew Petter, made a big splash in announcing an “additional” $3.8 million in funding for the Organized Crime Ag cney of B.C. (OCA). In the accor:panying press release, Petier was quoted as saying that “stay- ing ahead of organized crime is an essential element of pu pic safety.” As stupid as that state- ment is, and it really is, Petter compo:s:aded the ignorance by saying, “This government’s commitment was demonstrated last year when we established the agency (OCA) and we are increasing that commitment today by providing new provincial funding to target organized crime groups at their highest level.” In the first place, it is impossible for us to “stay ahead” of a problem that is 859-3513 Pichmond Surrey way at Imperiat 2764 Barnes Hy. 205 Vancouver White Rock spiralling out of sight. I spoke to a police officer about this issue the other day, The officer has over 25 years experi the bulk of that time spent in the fight against organized crime. He scoffed when [read him the quote, “We can’t stay ahead of something we ¢ merely try- ing to catch up to,” he said. As far as “this govern- mene’s commitments,” there is none, OCA was formed when CLEU (Co-ordinated Law Enforcement Unit) was put out of its misery after years of being totally dysfunctional under the dubious direction of Peter Engstad, who, since he was fired from CLEU, has been placed as a senior negotiator with the Ministry of Aboriginal Affai dealing with treaties. Inspires a lot of confi- dence in the government’s ability to get a good deal for B.C. doesn’t it? Back to OCA though. According to the press release, OCA rurs on a $9.8 miilion operating budget. The additional cash announced by Petter with much fanfare brings the bud- get to $13.6 million. The operating budget for CLEU at the time of its ise was $13.6 million. The Owen Report, which recommended the death of CLEU and the implementa- tion of a new agency, said in its recommendations: “Current levels of public funding for British Coiumbia’s anti-organized crime initiatives should be maintained while the new organizational model recom- mended in this report is developed and implement- ed.” In other words, al} Petter has done is what was being done before and following the “ecommendations of the Owen Report. But, in reality, the situa- tion is really much worse than even those sad facts would indicate. On March 23, 1999, our erstwhile attorney general, now Premier Ujjal Dosanjh, announced the hiring of RCMP Assistant Commissioner Bev Busson as the head of OCA. On that day, at the press conference done with the usual NDP fantare, Dosanjh said the budget for the new agency would be set at $15.1 million. Any sugges- tions how we got from $15.) million down to the $9.8 quoted in Petter’s press release? Some commitment! It’s alse interesting to” note that Busson left the new agency to take over as commanding officer for the RCMP in British Columbia after only nine months on the job. Granted, the job as CO of “E” Division ts the most senior CO’s job in the force and is certainly a good springboard to the commis- sioner’s office, were she so inclined. But why after only Buy Four Goodyear Wrangler AT/S tires fac the price of threa!* Aggraselve ali-teriain traction for your pickup, sport utility vehicle or 4x4! GOODRYEA G4 DOD 14. | *132 Other sizes 14. PeasrisRt 5 “Bey 4 Govorea! Wiangjer ANS kets ler he pee of eee 4 For 2 ‘te ends Aee5 30, “AKG thet ses avatatae, bee retader tes Has Otter noc sate #1 Comm Tction aria any vine! offer. comtete ea Exe AR ULE reward tres on Goodyear res arg mecrancal » serve B Fourkans ig. Wagerants at AR UULES® latemesona Korang 87 Used utSet bcense by Phe Loyady Grown: DIAL 318-TIRE...te be consected toll fres (2 the Fourtaln Tire nearest you! www.fountalntire.ca 5891 No. 3 Rd. iOpen Sunday). . 15392 Fraser Hwy. 13689- 104th Ave 1750 Clark Drive . 2725 Kingsway (Ose 2546 King George ttwy. ..... 535+ 273-3751 nine months? Phere was a rumour going around that she lett because the government — you remember those guys who are committed to fight- ing organized crime — cut her budget by $5 million. Whenever I tried to get to the bottom of that, F wes assured it wasn’t true. Givea the statement made by Dosanjh last March and the one made by Petter last week, it certainly seems as though there may be more than a little truth in it. Unless ray calculator is bro- ken, $15.1 million minus $9.8 million leaves $5.3 mil- lion. Then there’s the last line of Petter’s press release. it services .. by warranty : “As part of its expan- sion strategy the agency will open its first branch in Victoria later this month.” Far be it trom me to unde restimate the impor- activity in BC. runs through Vancouver. It would make more sense to open an office in Nanaimo, ar lease they have the Hells Angels and Vietnamese drug deal- ers. The only thing there is in Victoria is bureaucrats and politicians. Hmmmmm. I will leave the final word to the police officer I referred to earlier. “This would be laughable if it weren't so serious.” — lknigit@direct.cn 21 pt. Safety check, 15 minutes - FAST! 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