All right.
For the committee members not familiar with MIOCTF, it is a provincially funded task force comprised of the Winnipeg Police Service, the Brandon Police Service, and the RCMP. MIOCTF's mandate is to target organized crime at the highest level.
Like most regions in Canada, Manitoba has had to face the reality that organized crime in this province is continuing to evolve and flourish. Through the advancement of technology and increased partnership amongst criminal groups, we have seen a number of organized crime groups evolve into more sophisticated criminal networks. No longer is their criminal activity restricted to one particular activity. Although the drug trade is typically the cornerstone of their criminal enterprise, organized crime groups in Manitoba have also become involved in other criminal activities such as counterfeiting and smuggling, just to name two.
With this evolution comes increased levels of threats and harm. As the stakes become higher, organized crime groups have adopted more extreme measures to protect their interests. With an increased propensity to commit violence, organized crime groups are also more aggressive in their attempts to infiltrate and corrupt personnel in law enforcement, government agencies, and businesses associated with finance and transportation. As an example of their propensity to commit violence, between 2007 and 2009, the province of Manitoba had 179 homicides. Of this total, 61 were associated with the three largest street gangs in this province. By our estimates, during this period, approximately 30% to 35% of the homicides committed were associated with organized crime.
Despite the fact that organized crime groups in Manitoba are evolving, the law enforcement community is responding. Capitalizing on key partnerships and focusing on integrated and structured investigations, law enforcement agencies in Manitoba have developed a number of proactive initiatives that have led to some success in the fight against organized crime.
In 2007, law enforcement agencies in Manitoba established the operational priorities steering committee as a means to communicate and assess all organized crime investigations in the province. Comprised of mid-level managers representing intelligence and operational units from the largest police services in Manitoba and Canada Border Services Agency, the committee meets quarterly to discuss current and future enforcement initiatives and to identify and rank organized crime groups according to potential threat. Based on the information that is provided, intelligence gaps and investigational opportunities are identified. Without question, the establishment of the committee has been key to our efforts in the fight against organized crime. Aside from assisting in the targeting of certain groups for enforcement, the committee has also allowed for open discussion, facilitated better information-sharing, and created an environment of trust and cooperation between agencies.
Two excellent examples of the increased cooperation amongst partner agencies in Manitoba relate to the work of MIOCTF and the integrated gang intelligence unit, or IGIU.
Arguably the two groups that have the most negative impact on our community are the outlaw motorcycle gangs and street gangs. Between February 2006 and December 2009, MIOCTF completed three very successful investigations that resulted in the arrest of five “full patch” members of the Hells Angels and 57 associates, including all members of their “puppet club”, the Zig Zag Crew. The third investigation is still before the courts, but of the 31 persons arrested in the first two investigations, 29 have been convicted and received a total of 190 consecutive years of incarceration; that's an average of six and a half years per person.
IGIU is an intelligence unit comprised of law enforcement investigators and correctional officers working under the mandate to gather intelligence on the 26 known street gangs in Manitoba. In the past two years, information gathered by IGIU has led to the arrest of 23 street gang members, involved in 12 separate murders. In addition, information gathered by IGIU was instrumental in the Winnipeg Police Service initiating an investigation into the government-funded anti-gang initiative known as Paa Pii Wak Safe Haven for Men. In that investigation, members of Manitoba's highest-ranking street gang infiltrated the organization and employed fellow gang members. Under the guise of being program workers, gang members assisted other gang members in being released from custody to the Paa Pii Wak facility, where they were able to continue with their criminal activity. This integrated investigation led to the arrest of several street gang members, but also resulted in the withdrawal of all government funding for the facility and program.
Although law enforcement in Manitoba has had a number of successes in the fight against organized crime, we are also cognizant that we too need to evolve and continue to change in certain key areas. Building on our best practices, such as the operational priorities steering committee, we need to continue to develop and strengthen our partnerships and strive to work more collaboratively. In short, we need to adopt a provincial law enforcement view as opposed to an agency view. As the illicit activities of criminal organizations transcend judicial boundaries, so too should the efforts of law enforcement.
In this vein we need to continue with the expansion and growth of integrated units, and develop and implement a new intelligence model that better ensures that our intelligence sharing is structured, continuous, and, above all, relevant. Looking at best practices in other jurisdictions, we see the advantages and benefits of developing a centralized body that is responsible for the collection and dissemination of all intelligence throughout the province, and for assessing the risks and identifying investigational opportunities based on one provincial threat assessment.
Our goal is to establish an intelligence structure that facilitates and expands the free flow of information and intelligence, ultimately leading to a more enhanced and coordinated investigational model. In Manitoba, we understand where we need to go and we will take the steps to get there.
Mr. Chairman, Inspector Bazin and I were informed that we were to be given 10 minutes each. I understand that is not the case. I was going to speak to some of the issues that we in law enforcement face in targeting organized crime. It is included in my written submission, so I will stop at this moment and allow Inspector Bazin to continue.