Pubdate: Tue, 03 Oct 2006
Source: Winnipeg Free Press (CN MB)
Copyright: 2006 Winnipeg Free Press
Contact:  http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/502
Author: Bruce Owen

POLICE RANKS STRETCHED

Some Say West End Focus Leaves Suburbs Vulnerable

A new city police strike team that started flexing its muscles on 
streets last month is also showing that Winnipeg police ranks are 
thinly stretched, police sources said yesterday.

Police call it the street crime unit and say it replaces Operation 
Clean Sweep, the successful enforcement project set up a year ago to 
tackle drug dealers, gangsters and street prostitutes in the city's West End.

About 20 officers are now assigned to the new unit focusing on crime 
in the West End. More officers will be added as the unit expands to 
go after criminals throughout the entire city.

But sources said the creation of the strike team has meant officers 
have had to be transferred from other areas of the service to make up 
the street crime unit.

One area hit hardest will be suburban police stations. There are 
fewer officers, now, to investigate property crimes in a timely 
manner or go after speeders, sources said.

"It shows how understaffed we are," one officer said. Deputy Police 
Chief Menno Zacharias said the service has tried to mitigate strains 
on other units as best as possible.

"It is going to cause some operational difficulties, but it's nothing 
we can't deal with," he said.

That strain will be eased over the next year as the service hires 
about 50 more officers, he said.

"I think the vast majority of members buy into what we're trying to 
accomplish," he added.

Operation Clean Sweep was created almost a year ago by Mayor Sam Katz 
and Police Chief Jack Ewatski following the Thanksgiving slaying of 
an innocent young man on Sargent Avenue. He was killed by a bullet 
fired by a suspected gang member.

In response, police redeployed 45 officers from existing units to 
shut the drug trade and arrest gang members. What set them apart from 
other patrol units is they were "non-dispatchable", meaning they were 
free to develop their own arrests instead of dealing with radio call 
after radio call.

But Clean Sweep also stretched police resources. Many officers in 
those existing units had to work extra overtime to keep up with 
emergency calls and public demands. Sources said the same thing is 
happening now.

But Zacharias said increased funding from the province and a 
commitment from city hall allows the service to develop the new unit over time.

He added the civic election has not delayed the matter.

"It doesn't matter who's mayor. The project is going to go ahead."

The cost of the new unit is estimated to be $3.5 million over five years.

Last April, the province increased speeding fines and promised to 
hand over $2 million in new revenue to city police.

The unit will also be the basis for Katz's plan to use 
computer-generated real-time crime statistics to better fight crime.

Katz's CRIME-STAT program is known as COMPSTAT in U.S. cities such as 
Minneapolis, Newark, N.J. and New York City.

Got A Problem? Help Is A Click Away

The new Street Crime Unit is up and running. If you have trouble with 
gang members or drug dealers, you can e-mail them by going to 
www.winnipeg.ca/police and clicking on street crime unit.
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MAP posted-by: Elaine