Pubdate: Sat, 18 Aug 2007
Source: Guelph Mercury (CN ON)
Copyright: 2007 Guelph Mercury Newspapers Limited
Contact:  http://www.guelphmercury.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1418

ORGANIZED CRIME ON THE RISE

Increase Of 20 Per Cent, CISC Report Says

Canada has 950 known organized crime groups operating  across the
country, a jump of nearly 20 per cent from  the past year, says an
annual report by the Criminal  Intelligence Service.

But RCMP Commissioner William Elliott said the increase  is probably
due more to better reporting of their  activities by police than to an
actual change in the  number of criminals.

"The good news is that we're better at identifying  these groups than
ever before," Elliott said in Calgary  yesterday.

More than 380 different law enforcement agencies across  Canada are
members of the intelligence service, which  gathers and shares
information on criminal groups.

Elliott, just one month into his new job as head of the  RCMP, said
the collaboration allows police to track and  arrest gang members who
operate across city, provincial  and territorial boundaries.

He said several large, multi-jurisdictional crackdowns  on motorcycle
gangs over the past year have led to the  seizure of quantities of
"illicit products" and the  arrest of key criminals.

Organized crime groups vary widely in organization and  size - from
highly structured groups such as the Mafia  and Hells Angels - to much
more loosely formed street  gangs.

While the criminal capabilities of these groups vary, a  great many of
them are involved in selling everything  from street drugs and guns to
stolen cars and human  smuggling.

The annual report says about 80 per cent of organized  crime groups
are involved in the illegal drug trade,  but no single group dominates
the market.

Most groups continue to use legitimate businesses to  hide their
activities and launder their cash.

The report also confirmed that nearly all organized  crime groups
"network or collaborate" with each other  on an informal basis, like
combining funds to finance a  large drug shipment or production operation.

Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day said the increase  of crime on
the Internet has also allowed criminal  organizations to share
information more easily.

"These groups will do that up until an issue becomes  territorial --
they'll want to enhance or increase  their profits or territory," Day
said yesterday.

"If they feel one group is moving in on the other,  that's when we see
some of the gangland-related crime  and shootings that have taken place."

The report also says that while the illegal drug trade  helps fuel the
market for illegal firearms, most  criminal organizations are not
actively involved in the  large-scale retail and distribution of
banned guns.
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