RCMP CHIEF SAYS LACK OF FUNDS MEANS MOB ‘ON A ROLL’

Organized crime in Canada is now so pervasive that police have been reduced to putting out isolated fires in a blazing underworld economy, says RCMP Commissioner Philip Murray.

"While we’re focusing all of our limited resources on the bikers, what’s happening with the Mafia? What’s happening with Asian-based organized crime and so on?

"They’re on a roll. We’re not resourced to really have a serious, concerted attack on organized crime. If we’re putting all of our focus on one group, the rest of them have a free run."

This is the first time the country’s top policeman has publicly spoken about the scope of the problem and the consequences, as he sees them, of not launching a full counter-offensive.

"I think this is fundamentally, an extremely, extremely important issue. From my perspective, it’s our absolute top priority," said Commissioner Murray, who spoke out during a wide-ranging interview about challenges facing the Mounties as they celebrate their 125^th anniversary.

Police and government officials have for years been warning about the growing threat posed by organized crime, which costs the Canadian economy billions of dollars a year.

Eighteen international crime groups are estimated to be operating in the country, involved in smuggling, fraud, drug trafficking, money laundering and other illegal activities.

In recent years, the federal government has given police expanded powers to go after mobsters, passing laws to prevent criminals from enoying the proceeds of their crime and to limit gang activities, and there have been some notable police successes, especially against smugglers.

"But we’re still putting out fires," concedes Commissioner Murray, who has been leading the 21,000-strong force for four years.

The top organized-crime players have "got to come to the realization that Canada is not a place for them to do business, and we’re far from there at the moment.

"That’s going to take people, highly trained and skilled, (and) different kinds of resources. And it’s going to take a lot of money."

If not, he warns, organized crime "will continue to grow, so there will be a lot greater impact on legitimate business, a lot greater impact on the overall tax base.

"The average citizen doesn’t realize how pervasive the impact of organized crime is at the community level. Because of organized crime, we have higher taxes. We have businesses at a competitive disadvantage because others have used laundered money to set up their competition.

"We’re a trading country, so others have to have confidence in our ability to be able to have not only a safe society, but a secure society in the larger sense that, if you’re going to invest money here, it’s going to be secure.

"While I may sound pessimistic, I really am optimistic that this is going to work, that there’s going to be a federal-provincial co-operative effort, that the necessary resources are going to be put in place."