Pubdate: Fri, 04 Jun 2010
Source: Vancouver Sun (CN BC)
Copyright: 2010 The Vancouver Sun
Contact: http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/letters.html
Website: http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/477
Author: Chad Skelton

PAPERWORK FOR GANG TRIALS GRINDS OTHER INVESTIGATIONS TO A HALT: RCMP

Disclosing Evidence To Defence Can Take Months Of Work

RCMP officers have to do so much paperwork once a gangster goes to 
trial that their investigation of other organized crime groups 
essentially grinds to a halt, according to an internal RCMP report 
obtained by The Vancouver Sun.

The report, prepared for Deputy Commissioner Gary Bass last year, 
says the biggest burden facing officers is disclosure: the legal 
requirement that police and prosecutors hand over virtually all the 
evidence they have to the defence.

"Disclosure demands in support of the prosecution requires the 
dedication of resources which cannot be used to support other 
investigations or to develop new ones," states the report, written by 
Supt. A.J. Armstrong, head of the RCMP's criminal intelligence section in B.C.

"In essence, the continuation of enforcement action against some 
organized crime groups comes to a virtual standstill while police 
resources are focused on activities related to the prosecution. These 
groups are able to continue to operate with impunity while under 
charge during the court process."

In an interview Thursday, Staff Sgt. Dave Goddard of the RCMP's drug 
section said when a major gang investigation heads to trial, several 
officers who worked on the case must typically stay behind for 
several months to work on nothing but disclosing evidence to the defence.

"That process can take months ... and it's a very arduous task police 
have to go through," he said.

One of the reasons the work takes so much time, he said, is that 
every piece of paper has to be vetted to ensure it doesn't disclose 
police techniques or the names of informants.

In some cases, said Goddard, units are still working on disclosing 
evidence from the last case by the time arrests are made on the next one.

"There's a domino effect, obviously," he said. "And, let's face it, 
crime doesn't stop."

Goddard said the force is working on ways to speed up the disclosure process.

One is bringing in civilian staff to handle some of the more 
administrative tasks.

The other is to start getting files in order earlier on in an investigation.

The internal RCMP report, titled The Nature and Scope of Organized 
Crime in British Columbia, also expresses frustration that judges in 
B.C. don't seem to give out tough enough sentences to deter gang members.

"Lenient sentences for drugs, weapons, gang and violence-related 
offences tend to be far more lenient in British Columbia than other 
parts of North America, resulting in creating an attractive theatre 
for organized crime groups to operate," it states.
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