Pubdate: Wed, 08 Apr 2009
Source: Daily Herald-Tribune, The (CN AB)
Copyright: 2009 Osprey Media
Contact: http://www.dailyheraldtribune.com/feedback1/LetterToEditor.aspx
Website: http://www.dailyheraldtribune.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/804
Author: Michelle Huley

CRIMINOLOGIST SAYS PEACE COUNTRY IS RIPE FOR ORGANIZED CRIME

PEACE RIVER - Alberta's northwest provides a convenient back door for
gangs utilizing the corridor for access to other parts of the country,
and a noted criminologist says the Peace Country is prime for
organized crime.

The northern part of province is the back door, and Peace River is the
door handle," said MacEwan College criminologist Bill Pitt, the
keynote speaker at a Community Safety Forum held in Peace River yesterday.

"It's prime hunting ground for organized crime," he stressed,
comparing the Alberta BC border to the one dividing Mexico and the
U.S.

The Community Safety Forum was hosted by Peace Regional RCMP, the Town
of Peace River and Northern Sunrise County. Pitt spoke to attendees
about crime trends in the Peace region and how they're affected by
broader provincial trends.

"We're 150 miles away from a narco state," Pitt said of British
Columbia. "(Peace Country) is the perfect place to set up because of
its geography." Pitt said recent criminal activity in the Peace
Country related to the drug trade is a sign of things to come given
the current economic climate.

"What we've seen is gangs settling accounts with each other," he said
of a robbery and assault at Grimshaw's Mile Zero Hotel on March 9, and
the subsequent retaliatory drive-by shooting on the March 20-22 weekend.

A home invasion on Duncan's First Nation last week, he said, was also
about drugs and organized crime.

"They're sending messages," Pitt said. "It's the drug trade. They play
for keeps."

When people start seeing less income, such as in a depressed economy,
Pitt explained, they start defaulting on their drug tab. "And
somebody's going to come and collect.

"Look at the border of Mexico (to the U.S.), and the border of B.C. to
Alberta. It's almost the same thing going on. We haven't got to the
cartel stage yet. What you have is a whole bunch of different gangs."

Pitt said his guess is the region is hosting quite a few gangs.

"My best guess is you've probably got about three aboriginal gangs.
They're typically not that sophisticated. North Jamaicans, they're
typically big on cocaine imports. But we're also seeing intrusions of
Iranian groups from Eastern Canada. We know the biker groups are here,
but they're well insulated," he said, adding the biker gangs are
usually working behind other gangs. "I could probably say, from Grande
Prairie to Fort St. John, six to eight groups and with Prince Rupert
now a full blown port, look out for the illegal aliens coming in."

"What you're seeing up in the Peace and Fort McMurray is this
proximity of money, drugs, gang and violence."

People typically thought of the major centres such as Calgary and
Edmonton, Pitt said of organized crime. "There's more and more of a
dispersal effect. They're flying under the radar (by moving more into
rural locations).

The backdoor route, Pitt said is perfect for staying beneath the
radar, with access to prime weed.

"B.C. is a narco(tic) state," Pitt reiterated, adding some of the
highest grade of marijuana is being produced in the neighbouring
province. "It's incredibly potent and Americans really want that. It
goes south and what comes north into Canada, it's often a barter
system that involves no cash, is cocaine and weapons."

Pitt said yesterday's forum was an opportunity for community members
to gain an understanding, and for the community as a whole to
brainstorm some strategies.

"It's a start," he said. "I'm going to go up, and I don't know how
I'll fit it all into an hour, but I'm going to listen too. We're never
going to get it all done but it's a start. What it really shows, the
police (and the community), all have to act together."

He stressed a whole community approach is the only one that will have
any effect.

"The police are definitely doing their job, but the police can't do it
by themselves, courts won't do it. We know our court system is totally
inadequate. It's not a deterrent. People are fed up with being victimized.

"So, we're going to have a scrum and just see where we can go. In
time, we'll get some projects together, get everybody on board, and we
can start to walk, start to run and really get some crime prevention
strategies in place."
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MAP posted-by: Larry Seguin