Evidence of meeting #42 for Justice and Human Rights in the 40th Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was enforcement.

On the agenda

MPs speaking

Also speaking

Frank A. Beazley  Chief of Police, Halifax Regional Police
Brian Brennan  Officer in Charge, Federal Policing Branch, H Division, Royal Canadian Mounted Police
David Aggett  Director, Enforcement and Intelligence, Canada Border Services Agency
Sharon Martin  Coordinator, Youth Advocate program, Halifax Regional Police Drug Unit
Stephen Schneider  Associate Professor, Saint Mary's University, Department of Sociology and Criminology, As an Individual
Robert Purcell  Executive Director, Public Safety Division, Nova Scotia Department of Justice, Government of Nova Scotia

9:45 a.m.

Liberal

Marlene Jennings Liberal Notre-Dame-de-Grâce—Lachine, QC

I'm shocked.

9:45 a.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Ed Fast

Less than a minute.

9:45 a.m.

Liberal

Marlene Jennings Liberal Notre-Dame-de-Grâce—Lachine, QC

Now it's less than a minute.

9:45 a.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Ed Fast

It is, yes.

9:45 a.m.

Liberal

Marlene Jennings Liberal Notre-Dame-de-Grâce—Lachine, QC

And it's even less now.

I understand that, but given the realities and limited resources available, as Chief Beazley mentioned, there's a limit to what can be done. You're trying to be innovative in creating these different coordinated teams and drawing on differing expertise, but there again, do you think the federal government has a role to play, for instance, in helping law enforcement meet that particular challenge?

If it's getting the experts and being able to recruit, you have to be able to pay the bucks. That little tech whiz can go and work for a private company and probably draw down $150,000 easily—and that won't be the top salary—

9:45 a.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Ed Fast

You have time for a yes or no answer--or you don't have to answer at all.

9:45 a.m.

Chief of Police, Halifax Regional Police

Chief Frank A. Beazley

Do I agree? Yes.

9:45 a.m.

Liberal

Marlene Jennings Liberal Notre-Dame-de-Grâce—Lachine, QC

Thank you.

9:45 a.m.

Director, Enforcement and Intelligence, Canada Border Services Agency

David Aggett

I agree as well.

9:45 a.m.

Liberal

Marlene Jennings Liberal Notre-Dame-de-Grâce—Lachine, QC

Thank you.

9:45 a.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Ed Fast

We'll move to Monsieur Ménard for five minutes.

9:45 a.m.

Bloc

Serge Ménard Bloc Marc-Aurèle-Fortin, QC

Once again, we would like to be able to listen to you for hours. However, I would like to tackle another issue, that of sharing intelligence — celui du partage des renseignements criminels.

Unless I am mistaken, you do sit on committees and you meet regularly. However, do you have any common investigation projects, you, the local police and the RCMP?

9:45 a.m.

Chief of Police, Halifax Regional Police

Chief Frank A. Beazley

The short answer again is yes. We talked about ACIIS earlier. ACIIS is the national criminal intelligence data bank for sharing information between types of policing agencies across the country. Within my department I have somebody full time who gathers intelligence, analyzes it, and enters it into the national system.

We also have integrated units that work together, some of the oldest of which go back to the late 1970s, where we go out jointly and gather intelligence on organized crime types of criminals. Those relationships, as I say, are 10 to 20 years old and they continue today.

9:50 a.m.

Bloc

Serge Ménard Bloc Marc-Aurèle-Fortin, QC

You are telling me that the Hells Angels have disappeared. However, from what I understand, street gangs have replaced them as far as drug trafficking is concerned. Am I wrong in saying that?

9:50 a.m.

Chief of Police, Halifax Regional Police

Chief Frank A. Beazley

Obviously someone had to replace the vacuum. So, yes, street gangs and other types of criminal groups that are a little bit higher up on the food chain, if I can say that, have come in and replaced that void.

9:50 a.m.

Bloc

Serge Ménard Bloc Marc-Aurèle-Fortin, QC

Are these groups waging war against each other?

9:50 a.m.

Chief of Police, Halifax Regional Police

9:50 a.m.

Bloc

Serge Ménard Bloc Marc-Aurèle-Fortin, QC

How many victims have there been? Could you give us an idea of the importance of these wars by providing the number of victims or any other factor?

9:50 a.m.

Chief of Police, Halifax Regional Police

Chief Frank A. Beazley

I can't give you exact numbers, but I've had four gang-related shootings so far this year where people died. I've had somewhere in excess of 18 attempted murders this year where these gangs did drive-by shootings, shootings into homes and into cars. We had a shooting late last year between these gangs, in front of our children's hospital, which shocked the community.

As I think I said earlier, we've seized 105 guns off the streets so far this year. Last weekend, one car alone that we took down and searched had four fully loaded semi-automatic pistols in it.

The strain between these gangs is at an all-time high right now, and it is taking a lot of our time.

9:50 a.m.

Bloc

Serge Ménard Bloc Marc-Aurèle-Fortin, QC

To date, has this war between groups made any victims outside of the criminal element?

9:50 a.m.

Chief of Police, Halifax Regional Police

Chief Frank A. Beazley

Yes, the community. The fear of crime in my community is at an all-time high, as never before.

9:50 a.m.

Bloc

Serge Ménard Bloc Marc-Aurèle-Fortin, QC

That is not really the question I was asking. Obviously, I understand that emotions are running high in the community.

I would like to know if people unrelated to organized crime have been injured or killed precisely in these drive-by shootings.

9:50 a.m.

Chief of Police, Halifax Regional Police

Chief Frank A. Beazley

No. We've been very fortunate that way.

9:50 a.m.

Bloc

Serge Ménard Bloc Marc-Aurèle-Fortin, QC

I will now move on to the issue of technology.

Technology develops in large markets, larger than those of Canada. Even if Canadian technology is at present very successful, in order for it to be profitable, its usage must at least extend to the United States, obviously. I imagine that the United States are encountering the same problems in adapting to new technologies as those you have discussed with us. However, I know full well that the United States are investing a lot of money in the fight against crime.

Among the solutions they have found, which one might we draw on to stay on top of the new technologies used for electronic surveillance?

That will be my final question.

9:50 a.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Ed Fast

A very short answer, Superintendent.