Edmonton – Gangs and organized crime are a problem in communities all over Canada, which is the reason law enforcement officials from across the country are in Edmonton for the three day Western Canada Gang and Organized Crime Conference.
Five hundred delegates representing police, intelligence, and government agencies are attending the conference, sharing information and exploring current trends in gang activity and organized crime.
“We recognize that crime is becoming increasingly mobile and increasingly global. It doesn’t simply stop at the Edmonton or Calgary border, and conferences such as this are important to share best practices, but also to look at what are some of the issues in particular areas,” says Justice Minister Jonathan Denis.
Denis says two major issues in Alberta are gang violence and drug trafficking. The province has started the Grow-op Free Alberta Task Force to battle the problem of drug trafficking.
“MLA Rick Fraser is working on this particular file, and we’re looking as to what we can do to better detect but also better remediated grow-ops in our neighbourhoods,” says Denis.
The conference is being hosted by Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams (ALERT), an organization established by the provincial government to fight organized crime.
“Criminals are becoming more resourceful all the time, using different methods of importing drugs in to Canada, different methods of defrauding the public,” says ALERT Inspector Gerry Francois.
Francois says despite criminal’s increasing resourcefulness, ALERT has been successful in catching the culprits. The organization has charged 5,000 people with over 16,000 charges since it was established in 2006.
Comments