Pubdate: Wed, 22 Aug 2007 Source: Regina Leader-Post (CN SN) Copyright: 2007 The Leader-Post Ltd. Contact: http://www.canada.com/regina/leaderpost/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/361 Author: Heather Polischuk, Leader-Post Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mjcn.htm (Marijuana - Canada) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/coke.htm (Cocaine) ORGANIZED CRIME NUMBERS LEVEL OFF: RCMP While more organized crime groups have been reported nationally, Saskatchewan hasn't seen a similar increase, said the bureau chief of Criminal Intelligence Service Saskatchewan, RCMP Staff Sgt. Todd Plant. Even so, he said organized crime groups continue to be a major concern for Saskatchewan law enforcement agencies. "We're still seeing it here, that's for sure," he said. "Street gangs remain an issue in Saskatchewan with more than 20 known gangs in the province." In its annual report on organized crime released Friday, Criminal Intelligence Service Canada -- an organization comprised of numerous Canadian police forces including provincial umbrella groups like CISS - -- said 150 more crime groups were identified nationally in 2007 than the year before, putting the current figure at 950. CISC said that increase is mainly due to enhanced reporting. Here in Saskatchewan, Plant said while organized crime showed signs of growing over the past three years, the most recent figures have remained relatively stable -- perhaps in part due to police partnerships. "We've really kind of come to the point where our intelligence-gathering techniques are very good and we work in integrated enforcement and intelligence units in this province," Plant explained. "So we're fairly lucky in that regard that we have all the police forces that are basically contributing to this priority ... There's really no area of the province that's untouched by an integrated unit." The Regina Police Service is one of the agencies involved with CISS, and that integrated approach benefits everyone involved, said Sgt. Ron Weir with the city's street gang unit. "Just the information flow back and forth is a tremendous asset, for us or them," he said. "A lot of the (gang) people we deal with here may be moving back out of town or moving back to the reserves and we're always utilizing (the RCMP) to assist us on a regular basis." Weir said four major street gangs, an outlaw biker gang and several smaller groups currently operate within Regina, with aboriginal street gangs posing the largest problem for violence and intimidation. "A lot of it is stemmed around the drug activities ... and a lot of the violence that is used, it's in regards to obtaining those drugs or protecting it," he said. "But the other thing that we deal with quite a bit, it's the intimidation (of) witnesses and victims." Both Plant and Weir said the majority of gangs here use the drug trade, mainly in marijuana and cocaine, as a way to make money. Youth are continuing to be the biggest target for recruitment, making education and prevention all the more essential for police in fighting organized crime, Plant said. Firearms also continue to be a concern for police with an increase in gun use documented in gang-related crime. "I would say that it's growing -- not at an alarming rate, but it is growing," Plant said. "And I think it's something that we really have to concentrate on here." Long guns -- often modified or sawed off -- continue to be the weapon of choice for many Saskatchewan gangs since they're easier to find in rural areas, Plant said. But following some major Regina break-ins several years ago in which numerous weapons were stolen, handguns are also commonly found in Regina gang activity, Weir said. "I would almost say we're coming across probably about 50-50 handguns to the long rifles that are cut down ...," he said, adding some handguns are also coming from out of province. "But a lot of the stuff that we're dealing with still is the bladed weapons." While police need to continue working together to combat organized crime, they also need communities to do their part by reporting gang-related or other suspicious activity, Plant said. - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake