Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you to all of the witnesses for their testimony today.
Chief Truong, I have some questions for you about organized crime.
It's something affecting all Canadians, in both urban centres and rural areas across this country, and in every province. It was astonishing to look at a release from the London Police Service guns and gangs section recently, laying 62 charges. Items seized were a Smith & Wesson nine-millimetre handgun, a Glock handgun, a loaded Glock handgun, another Glock handgun, oxycodone tablets, cocaine and crystal meth. We see how, in Canada, gun deaths have increased by 116% since 2015, and gang-related homicides have increased by 78%. We are facing a crisis related to organized crime.
In your testimony, you mentioned the diversion of so-called safe supply by organized crime. I'm wondering if you could expand a bit on the willingness of someone to divert the safe supply they've received. I use the expression “so-called safe supply” because of the testimony we've heard at this committee. The way this supply is being abused is resulting in more crime and chaos. As we all know, there have been over 40,000 overdose deaths since 2015.
Could you speak in practical terms about how this diversion, in your experience, plays out in your own community?