Pubdate: Mon, 08 Nov 1999 Source: National Post (Canada) Copyright: 1999 Southam Inc. Contact: 300 - 1450 Don Mills Road, Don Mills, Ontario M3B 3R5 Fax: (416) 442-2209 Website: http://www.nationalpost.com/ Forum: http://forums.canada.com/~canada Author: Andrew McIntosh MOUNTIES TO GET $420M TO FIGHT DRUGS, ORGANIZED CRIME Result Of Lobbying Efforts Five Year Spending Plan Outlined In Secret Documents Ottawa: The federal government is planning to give the RCMP an extra $420-million over the next five years to help the Mounties fight both organized crime and international drug trafficking. The cabinet plans to give the RCMP, which has 14,000 employees and an existing $1.9-billion annual budget, an extra $61-million each fiscal year between 2000 and 2005 to help fight organized crime across Canada, according to secret documents outlining the spending plans. The Mounties will also get an additional $23-million in each of the next five years to finance efforts to disrupt international drug trafficking, the documents show. The total five-year spending plan amounts to $305-M million for organized crime fighting and $115-million for anti-drug efforts to be given to the RCMP beginning April 1,2000 and to continue until the end of 2005. The office of Lawrence MacAulay, the Solicitor-general, declined to comment. The funding plans were drawn up a month after the cabinet was handed a secret $1-million management consultant's report that assessed the effectiveness of the RCMP's national policing activities and its financial management. The National Post sought a copy of the consultant's report under the Access to Information Act. However, the Treasury Board, which commissioned the study, rejected the request on Friday and declared the report a cabinet secret. Throughout this year, the RCMP has been plagued by a spate of embarassing media reports about severe financial constraints on its operations. In the House of Commons on Friday,Chuck Cadman, a British Columbia Reform MP, (Surrey North) said the liberals are responsible for "the RCMP funding crisis." Mr.Cadman told the Commons that budget cuts were preventing the RCMP from subjecting its own police officers to annual testing in the proper useof firearms. "The largest RCMP detachment in canada is in my riding and my constituents are fed up with this. How much longer is the government prepared to jeopardize the safety of police officers and Canadians?" Mr.MacAulay made no mention of the government's funding plans. He responded: "I do not believe anyone in this House would question the competence of the RCMP." The RCMP has long complained that its investigations across Canada have been hampered by a lack of funding. During the summer: * The national Post revealed that Quebec Mounties were ordered to stop recruiting paid informants to help investigations; particularly organized crime and drug investigations. The force ran out of money to pay informers six months into their fiscal year. * Many investigators were unable to use wiretaps to gather essential evidence because the force couldn't afford the computer time and cost of transcribing the tapes. * Victims of white-collar crimes in British Columbia-Kelowna area- were told by Mounties they were defrauded and had legitimate complaints, but that the RCMP simply would not investigate their cases because it had insufficient funds. * In Ottawa, the RCMP didn't have enough cash to have a Mountie in scarlet tunic on a horse in front of Parliament, a popular tourist attraction. Another federal agency, the National Capital Commission, raised the money. * In early fall, the RCMP for the first time appointed a deputy commissioner to co-ordinate all its anti-organized crime efforts, a move aimed at convincing the government that the Mounties felt the problem was serious. * The officer appointed was Deputy Commissioner Guiliano (Zack) Zaccardelli, who did not return phone calls. However, in an interview not long after he was appointed, the veteran said the liberals could no longer ignore the issue of the force's resource problems. He said the RCMP was "looking for substantial sums" to bolster its anti-organized crime activities. - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake