Tax man finally shows up in OC battle

The extraordinary announcement of the successful conclusion of Operation Colisee by police in Quebec and Ontario is stunning. Not just because they took down members and associates of the Rizzuto crime family, including patriarch Nicolo “Nick” Rizzuto. Nor is it stunning that they have arrested 73 of them with warrants fro 17 more.

But, largely because this project was done with the full involvement of Revenue Canada investigators and they are actually going to seize assets of the mobsters.

For years the police have been trying to get CCRA to take an interest in organized crime files to little or no avail. Especially when it came to taking on the Hells Angels, the tax guys were conspicuous by their absence. Too scared was what the cops were saying.

Using income tax law to go after organized crime is a tried and true method, dating back to the days of Al Capone. Not so in Canada, at least until this week anyway.

Organized crime may use legitimate fronts for their various endeavours, but make no mistake about it, the vast majority of their money is dirty and untaxed. It’s about bloody time CCRA got engaged in a game they have for too long ignored.

Leo Knight
leo@primetimecrime.com

Wrong target in Media sights

So yet another firestorm has developed with the ravenous media knee-jerking their way into condeming the Vancouver Police Department based on nothing more than an anonymous email tipster to BCTV on Global. (Click on Internal Investigation to see the video story)

Is there a photograph of five members of VPD posing with a suspect in the jail. Apparently, according to Insp. Rollie Woods in a press conference called late Tuesday afternoon. And?

The officers involved were members of a downtown patrol squad and at least one a Sgt. in the Firearms Interdiction Team. By definition they have a difficult and dangerous job. In practice they go after guns and the bad guys who carry them. When they make a good arrest, they celebrate their efforts. And?

So they took a souvenir photo. And?

The suspect in the photo, as with anyone ever seen with a coat or newspaper they try and hide behind doing the perp walk, isn't too pleased with his situation. Gee, I wonder why? In this case, a 40 year old man and a career criminal with 69 criminal convictions was caught by the police and now stands charged with multiple offences including carrying a concealed weapon.

By the way, that is 69 convictions, not 69 arrests. The number of arrests is much higher.

Despite the 69 convictions and the many more arrests and spending a life that takes from society not contributes to it, the suspect is afforded something the police are not - the presumption of innocence.

Was the suspect assaulted during the arrest? I don't know and neither does the media with their holier-than-thou headlines. The process to investigate this allegation is in motion and we should let it take its course. The rush to judgement of the police is shameful. Moreso, the targetting of a good cop, in this case the Sgt. of the squad was identified but not the others, all the while ignoring the fact that the suspect in that photo should not have even been on the streets to get caught, yet again, by the cops who were actually protecting the rest of us, is all to predictable.

Leo Knight

leo@primetimecrime.com

Hypocrites need to move on

The very-public saga of West Vancouver PD Constable Lisa Alford has taken on a life of its own. The smug self-rightousness of the media in the way they have pursued this officer and the Police Department has been filled with their own unique brand of hypocrisy.

Alford was involved in an motor vehicle accident a year ago after consuming alcohol at a social event in the West Vancouver police station. Following the MVA, she was arrested and charged with driving under the influence.

She accepted her responsibility at every step of the way. She pleaded guilty, ready to take whatever punishment was her due. She never sought, nor did the system offer, any slack or preferential treatment. She didn't seek any "alternative measures," adult diversion, a healing circle or claim it wasn't her fault because, Boo-hoo-hoo, she wasn't breast-fed as a child.

No, she made a bad error, admitted it and took her punishment like a man . . .well, so to speak.

Now the Chief Constable is being made to do a Mexican Hat Dance simply because the optics are bad. And, some smug, self-righteous commentators are actually calling for a "full independent inquiry. "

Damn the expense, Man! The cops were drinking!

Now, it needs to be said that the event was a social function and didn't involve on-duty officers. But please, to suggest that we should have a "full independent public inquiry" because there was drinking going within the confines of a police station where many people have their offices and work? Oh please.

To what end? What might we learn from that? That the West Vancouver police sometimes hold parties in the station? Well the Chief has already confirmed that. I'll let you in on something else too. The Vancouver Police have wet messes within their walls too. Lest you think the Mounties are pure, they too have wet messes in many of their facilities including E Division Headquarters. And oddly enough, police officers sometimes have a cocktail or two in those messes when one of their own is retiring or getting promoted. And I have been present when members of the media, lawyers, judges and yes, even the occasional politician were only too happy to partake of the cops' hospitality.

So what?

I have been to a great many receptions at lawyers' offices too. And, God knows, I have been in conferences in news rooms where a bottle of Scotch was pulled out of a desk drawer during the session.

Drinking isn't illegal. Irresponsible drinking is. Constable Lisa Alford made a mistake and unlike much of society these days, she took responsibility for her actions and paid the consequences, putting a blemish on an otherwise pristine record. That should end the matter. And, like anyone else, she should be allowed to get on with her life.

Leo Knight

leo@primetimecrime.com

Connections show no apology deserved

I wonder when the media is going to get off the back of the RCMP in the Mahar Arar affair?

Now it is clear from documents tabled in court (Globe & Mail, Nov.03, 2006) that Arar had a connection to the cadre of Khadrs, our very own Canadian jihadists. We already knew he was connected to Abdullah Almalki, himself trying to gain sympathy as a “torture victim” of Syria.

What is clear to me is that the RCMP had every right – no – every duty to consider Arar a terror suspect and include him in their investigation..

Almalki, according to Khadr the Younger, was connected to Khadr the Elder, also known as “al Kanadi” (The Canadian) to his al Qaeda pals. At the very least, the Mounties had every reason to believe that Arar was a suspect and needed to be investigated. In the days post-9/11, they also had every reason to share information with the US authorities.

I believe that neither the RCMP nor Canada owe Arar an apology for anything. If in fact, he is totally innocent, then perhaps he should be more careful who he associates with. If he is that desperate for an apology, perhaps he should ask the people who actually imprisoned him and allegedly conducted the torture, the country of his birth, Syria.

Leo Knight
leo@primetimecrime.com

Botched investigation leaves everyone wanting

The RCMP are a proud organization. Sometimes too proud. I say this as a former member who has never shied from praising the Force when they have done well. And I have certainly taken my fair share of criticism when I have identified times when I have been not so proud of what they have done.

Certainly, the Force has taken a beating in the wake of the O’Connor report into their handling of the Arar affair, with the baying media hounds screaming for the scalp of Commissioner Giuliano Zaccardelli.

Now, I suppose I should add that I don’t subscribe to the nit-picking done by Mr. Justice O’Connor. I also don’t subscribe to the “poor innocent me” nonsense spewed out by Arar. Whatever the RCMP can be criticized for in their handling of that file, there is no doubt that they had every right to be suspicious of Arar and he is not the innocent victim that he portrays himself to be.

Having said that, the Mounties booted the internal investigation relative to the constable who was accused of having sex with underage prostitutes in Prince George, Justin Harris.

Harris was never charged criminally with anything largely because there was never any evidence to substantiate a charge. But cops have to meet a higher standard and internal discipline charges were brought against him essentially for that wonderful catch-all, conduct unbecoming a member.

Without regurgitating the salient aspects of the allegations, levied by what can only be charitably described as “questionable sources,” Harris challenged the formal tribunal convened under the auspices of the RCMP Act, saying they failed to bring the action against him within the prescribed one year time frame the guiding legislation requires. The sitting tribunal really had no choice but to grant a dismissal given the facts in the case and the timeline involved.

Without question the RCMP knew of the allegations long before they were brought against Harris. In point of fact, they brought in their so-called “Anti-Corruption Unit” and they commenced investigations into the lives of as many as, nine serving police officers. Wives, girlfriends, family members were all questioned without regard as to whether the allegations were actually true.

Lives were damaged. Reputations ruined and all without a scintilla of proof. And, at the end of the day, nothing. Just a half-hearted attempt to bring a service court offence against a constable years after the fact and long after the allegations were raised.

It was amusing to watch the media hordes scramble to interview Cameron Ward, the anti-police legal crusader. Ward scoffed about the police protecting their own and how the member got off on a technicality. Funny, I’ve never heard Ward, nor any other member of the defence bar for that matter, complain when they get murderers and rapists off on technicalities . . . time after time after time.

The witch hunt got the RCMP nothing in this and in the process, a hell of a lot of trouble was caused in the private lives of several members. I don’t condone breaches of the law or procedure by police officers, but neither can I support the manner the RCMP went about this either.

Leo Knight
leo@primetimecrime.com

The madness in Montreal brings out the liberals

The madness in Montreal yesterday was tragic. On this morning after the shootings, the final tally of dead and wounded has yet to be made. The crime scene is still taped off and investigators are still interviewing witnesses and trying to make sense out of the mayhem.

It didn’t take long for the hand-wringers to come out drawing parallels to the 1989 misogynistic killings at L’Ecole Polytechnique also in Montreal. Some media outlets, were somewhat veiled in their headlines such as: Woman killed by gunman at Montreal College. The implication being obvious.

Hard on the heels of that, the liberal media tried to raise the issue of the Tories killing the bloated, expensive and totally ineffective long gun registry. Notice the quote in the piece by Lucienne Robillard, a senior member of the Liberal Party, which starts off, “As a woman in Montreal . . ..” One wonders if the writer of the report is being paid for his party political piece?

Fortunately for the beleagured taxpayers of Canada, the guns used by Kimveer Gill yesterday were legally obtained and registered just like the pandering Liberals envisioned.

And once again, the gun registry has proven it is totally useless. When will the liberals finally get it and finally shut up? Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day has tabled legislation to kill the ineffective, bureaucratic registry. One hopes, even with the minority government and the tenuous hold on power Stephen Harper’s government has, that the House will allow Day’s Bill to pass when Parliament sits again this Fall.

Leo Knight
primetimecrime@gmail.com

Court decision proves system is broken

As accustomed as I am to seeing the blatent stupidity of our justice system, I was unprepared to read that Kelly Ellard, the convicted killer of 14 year old Reena Virk 10 years ago in Victoria, is being granted an appeal to seek a new trial, her fourth in this case. And just to make sure my gag reflex was working, Mr. Justice Ian Donald agreed to allow her to do it on the public teat.

To his credit, Justice Donald at least recognized the case is “notorious.” But still, this case has had every detail examined in the media, in court three times and in the blogosphere. This isn’t a “whodunit.” Ellard was there and an active participant in the brutal killing of Virk. Ellard has played the system like a fiddle and the charade continues unabated by common sense.

At what point will the system say enough is enough? Well, never, apparently.

Ellard is a stone-cold killer. She is also an habitual, albeit small-time, criminal. She has not spent one meaningful, productive moment in her life as far as I can tell. She is incorrigible and on top of all of that, she is very violent. When she gets out of prison, she will immediately return to her former life. On that, you can make book. Bet the farm in fact.

To be sure, Ellard is entitled to mount a defence and an appeal if she feels she has, after three kicks at the cat, somehow been unfairly done by. And she is entitled to ensure her rights are not abused by the system. But please, this is now becoming an abuse of process and the public should not have to pay for it.

Ellard would have us believe everyone is lying except her. Which, of course, is nonsense. The first conviction was overturned by the BC Court of Appeal because she was asked 18 times in cross-examination why the myriad of witnesses would lie. Even though that was the salient part of her defence, the Court ruled the Crown couldn’t ask the question so many times.

And yes, I thought that decision was fundamentally flawed as well. But, nevertheless we are now at this point where the Legal Services Society had declined to pay for any further legal action and the court has ruled in favour of wasting yet more taxpayer money on this frivolous action.

I had no doubt our criminal justice system is absolutely dysfunctional and broken. This latest decision merely confirms that opinion.

Leo Knight
leo@primetimecrime.com

The public deserves the truth about crime

In a story in the Vancouver Sun (Crime stories frighten public – Monday, July 31st, 2006) the RCMP Communications section has authored a memo suggesting the police should be releasing less info to the media because too many crime stories on the front pages frighten the public.

Given that the Lower Mainland leads the continent in property crimes and organized crime marches on virtually unimpeded, perhaps the public should be a little afraid.

The other amusing part is the suggestion that the RCMP is being too free with information. As a former member of the Force, where even member to member information sharing is frowned upon, the concept that the RCMP gives out too much information toppled my gyros.

But I digress.

For years the police have always distrusted the media and for the most part, vice versa. That is not to say those considered positions of mistrust were misplaced. One only has to look at the actions of CTV during the Graham McMynn kidnapping to understand why the police mistrust the media.

But, having said that, it seems to me that those types of situations could be avoided if the police worked harder to foster better relations with the media. The suggestion by this report obtained by The Vancouver Sun flies in the face of that aim.

At the end of the day, the police represent the public and do what they do in our name. How is it therefore responsible to keep us in the dark because the truth might frighten some readers?

I can almost see Jack Nicholson in Red Serge screaming, “The truth! You can’t handle the truth.”

I would suggest the vast majority of the public, though they may not like the stories telling them what is happening to their neighbourhoods, can certainly handle the truth. Indeed, with property crime running rampant, is it not malfeasant to not advise them? How can people take steps to protect themselves if they cannot appreciate the nature of the threat?

Anyone who does not have their head planted firmly in the sand – and those from StatsCan – instinctively knows crime is rising and the justice system seems powerless to protect the citizenry from becoming a victim.

(As a side note, readers should check out Scott Newark’s examination of the question of crime rates and the fudging of the numbers to delude the population. It is featured on the Contributing Writers section of Prime Time Crime.)

Equally, it seems to me that since the police are trying to do so much more with less, doesn’t it make sense to keep the public very much in the loop with what is happening on our streets? After all, the only way to get the attention of the politicians who allocate tax dollars is to have them think the public really cares about something. Educating the public to the reality of rising crime in our cities and towns is just the sort of thing that might get people angry enough to phone their MP or MLA demanding action.

Crime is a major problem in this country. Trying to shield the public from the fact is not the right way to go. It’s not the crime stories that frighten the public, it is crime itself.

Leo Knight
leo@primetimecrime.com

Things the Police would like you to know

A few years back I wrote a column entitled A few simple rules to live by. It contained some common sense rules devised by a California Assistant District Attorney called “How not to get shot by Police.”

A retired VPD member, Mike Windle, sent me another common sense list put together by an American street cop. It was too good not to share.

____________________________________________________

Your 5 year old kid getting pushed down by another 5 year old kid is NOT a police matter; talk to the other kid's parents, not the police.

If your kid won't do his homework or do his chores, 911 is not the answer.

If a cop causes a car accident we usually get a ticket, and sometimes we get suspended. When is the last time you got 3 days off (without pay) for rear-ending a guy at Wal-Mart?

We know you've had more than two beers. When I've had two beers, I didn't hit six parked cars, drive my car through the front doors of a Toys-R-Us, pee my pants or pass out at a traffic light.

When you see an emergency vehicle behind you with its lights and sirens on, pull to the RIGHT, and stop. We are usually required to pass cars on the left.

When you're driving in the fast lane and you see a cop behind you, don't go 5 MPH under the speed limit. We are not impressed by how safe of a driver you can be, we're trying to go help someone (or catch that guy in the SUV that just cut you off). Safely move over and let us pass please.

If you get a warning instead of a ticket from a motorcycle cop, go buy a lottery ticket, because you've already beaten the odds.

When you see an officer conducting a traffic stop, or with a suspect in handcuffs, it is generally not a good idea to approach him and ask for directions. If you do, don't expect the officer to be nice when he tells you to get lost, and don't expect the officer to take the time to explain.

Here's how to get out of a ticket. Don't break the law.

If you drive a piece of crap, that is why you're getting pulled over.

In one week I pulled over 10 cars for minor traffic violations. 5 out of 10 had no vehicle insurance. 3 out of 10 had suspended driver's licenses. 2 out of 10 had warrants. 1 out of 10 had felony warrants. 1 was a known sex offender with his 12 year old niece in the car without her mothers knowledge.

If you've just been pulled over doing 70 in a 35, do not greet the officer with, "What seems to be the problem, officer?"

We get coffee breaks too.

When you're the victim of a burglary, take the time you spend waiting for the officer to find the model number and the serial number of the stuff that was taken.

Some cops are just jerks, but take heart in the fact that other cops don't like them either.

If it's nighttime and you're driving a vehicle with tinted windows and I pull you over, it's not because of your skin color. I usually can't tell if the vehicle even has a driver until the windows rolled down.

Every time you hear on the news about people running away from a crazed gunman, someone's son or daughter in a police uniform is running TOWARD that crazed gunman.

Yes, it's true, cops usually don't give other cops tickets. Think of it as an employee discount, perk or benefit. Other cops are family and you wouldn't give your brother a ticket if you were a cop either.

If your local police agency has a helicopter, everyone knows it's loud and annoying, but did you know it can cover the same area as 20 patrol officers and safely chase criminals that are driving 90 MPH through city streets. Many times the guy has no idea it's there and slows down.

Police work is.... writing reports.

If you rob a gas station you're only going to get about $100, but I get to see a K9 dog use your arm as a chew toy. For all I care you can keep the $100.

In one year of patrol work in a large city, only about ten minutes would be cool enough to be on the television show Cops.

Every traffic stop could end in gunfire, but we have to be polite and professional until that time.

I've taken about the same amount of men and women to jail for domestic violence, so NO, it's not always the man.

People love fire fighters.

If the light was yellow, we wouldn't be having this conversation.

Cops know you pay taxes and that your taxes pay cops' salaries. Cops also pay taxes, which also pay cops' salaries so, hey, this traffic stop is on me. Now sign here; press hard. There are four copies.

Police Officers...our job is to protect your butt, not kiss it.

___________________________________________________

Leo Knight
leo@primetimcrime.com

Stench from apparent police cover-up won't go away

The story that broke in the Calgary Herald this morning is remarkable for a Canadian police department in this day and age.

The piece written by staffer Suzanne Wilton, details a memo written by then Inspector, now Deputy Chief Jim Hornby of the Calgary Police Service to then Deputy Chief Rick Hanson.

The first paragraph of the memo is striking:

“As per our conversation, I have a situation where I believe an officer’s notebook has been modified improperly that may bring the Service into disrepute. This surrounds an application for a search warrant and the grounds required to obtain it.”

Especially troubling is the fact that the warrant was returned empty. In other words, the warrant to search for a grow-op was granted based on information that was, at least in part, fabricated and the police found nothing. Which isn’t terribly surprising given the family who lived in the rented house are Joe and Jane Six-pack who run a small business refinishing furniture not growing marijuana. They don’t even use marijuana.

The raid occurred in September of 2000, nearly six years ago. Since then, the mom of the family, Nancy Killian Constant, has been desperately trying to find answers to determine why members of the Calgary Police Service forcibly entered her home at gunpoint and ordered her and her family to the floor.

She has gone through the police complaints procedure, the Law Enforcement Review Board and has launched a lawsuit. And so far, she hasn’t even received anything that might resemble an answer, let alone an apology.

The memo, a “smoking gun” that clearly demonstrates the Calgary Police knew they screwed up badly, was written by Hornby in December of 2000, three months after the events and still the management of the police department are dodging and obfuscating refusing to admit they were wrong.

This is unbelievable and this is wrong.

The search arose out of a landlord / tenant dispute which the landlord, Rocco Terrigno and his son, Michael, attempted to bully their way into their rented house late at night after the kids had been put to bed. Killian Constant’s husband blocked the Terrigno’s path and Michael tumbled backwards over a plant on the front steps.

He called the police alleging he had been assaulted. The police officer who attended, Cst. Ian Vernon, was a rookie. Despite the fact there was clearly no evidence to support a charge of assault against the husband, he was charged by Vernon with assault. This charge was later dropped by the Crown as it should have been.

A couple of days later Vernon got a warrant, supported by an Information to Obtain that alleged grounds that can only charitably be described as thin. I have read the ITO and in my opinion the warrant should not have been granted. There’s not a chance in hell that it would have been in Vancouver, but recognizing that Calgary is a different jurisdiction, I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt and say the grounds were thin.

Now we know of this memo from Hornby which says that Vernon altered his notebook to aid in obtaining the warrant. So, we go from thin grounds to fabricated evidence and six years later the Calgary Police Service still won’t say they are sorry for forcibly entering a family’s home late at night, ordering a family to the floor at gunpoint and finding absolutely nothing.

A review of this file has since been ordered and Inspector Brian Whitelaw has now laid a variety of service offences against a number of officers involved in the obtaining and executing the warrant. Those allegations have yet to be heard and certainly those officers, including Vernon, Hornby and Vernon’s supervisor, Sgt. Carl DeSantis, who counseled Vernon in how to put together his first ITO, are entitled to mount a defence.

Having said that, the stench from this just will not go away unless and until Killian Constant gets some answers and finally hears an apology. And every day that passes without that diminishes all the good things the hard-working members of the Calgary Police Service do day in and day out.

Leo Knight
leo@primetimecrime.com

No surprise in lack of success in OC war

The revelation by RCMP Commissioner Giuliano Zaccardelli that we are not being effective in the fight against organized crime should not come as a surprise to anyone.

When Zaccardelli rose to the position as the top cop in the country, his first message was that organized crime was the biggest threat to Canada. At the time, in September 2000, Zaccardelli astonished the assembled media at his first press conference when he said: " For the first time in this country, we are seeing signs of criminal organizations that are so sophisticated that they are focusing on destabilizing certain aspects of our society."

"There are criminal organizations that target the destabilization of our parliamentary system," Zaccardelli said to the astonished press corps.

Not that they should have been astonished given things like Project Sidewinder and the obvious cover-up by the Liberals to ensure the country stayed ignorant of the threat and their failure to act upon it. For the record, the Libs denied any cover-up and then underlined that with a whitewash by the civilian oversight body SIRC. But, that's a little like believing neither the Prime Minister nor the Finance Minister knew anything about the Sponsership scandal. And to quote LBJ, that dog won't hunt.

But however zealous "Zack" may have been coming out of the gate, he was quickly educated in just how political his office has become. With the ink barely dry on the newspapers reporting his comments, Zaccardelli was summoned onto the Prime Minister's lush carpet and put in his place. My sources tell me he was kept waiting outside the office for a lengthy period of time like a naughty schoolboy waiting outside the principal's office.

Whatever direction he wanted to take the fight against organized crime he was stymied by a corrupt political party that would never allow the Force to take the gloves off. Sure, the RCMP achieved some successes. But organized crime in this country is a multi-billion dollar enterprise. Any real success can only be achieved with a very, very large financial committment and the balls to say "Go get 'em."

And the Liberals were to busy stealing our money to let the Mounties have any of it to go after the bikers, gangsters and triads in any meaningful way.

Leo Knight

leo@primetimecrime.com

Biker bust reveals truth

The arrest on the Friday of Hells Angel Villy Roy Lynnerup, 41, at Vancouver International Airport is yet another example that the bikers are anything but good ol' boys who like to party hard and ride Harleys.

Allegedly, Lynnerup was inexplicably carrying a loaded handgun in his carry-on luggage right next to his colours depicting him as a full-patch member of the White Rock chapter of the world's biggest biker gang when he was trying to board a plane to Edmonton.

How he thought he'd get the gun through airport security is a whole other question.

But Lynnerup is not just another biker. Police believe he is the Sergeant at Arms, a senior position in every Hells Angel chapter, for the White Rock chapter. Sources say he was carrying notes from Hells Angels officers meetings in the bag as well, leading them to speculate that he was heading to a high level meeting with other senior members of the club.

The Hells Angels have long maintained they are not a criminal organization. Their propaganda machine fuelled by their charitable toy runs and the like. But, even though the police have had only limited success in breaking up their criminal networks, taking a gun to a high level meeting certainly seems to tell a different story.

Leo Knight
leo@primetimecrime.com

Cops do it right despite criticism

In the week since Graham McMynn was abducted the Vancouver Police threw every resource possible at the investigation. The stated “24” investigators working on the case cited in the media reports was thrown out by police as a number, but was no indicator of the actual police resources utilized in this very challenging investigation.

A hint of what really went on came on Wednesday morning when over 100 officers mustered in a Vancouver armoury to get briefed on the plan to rescue the young man.

During that week as well, the police were hampered in their efforts by some elements of the broadcast news media who simply would not do as they were asked and refused to “blackout” the story so the police could do their job. With a kidnap victim’s life hanging in the balance, one has to question the judgment in those newsrooms.

But the story that really stuck in my craw was the piece done by CTV’s Lisa Rossington when she “tracked down” the rental car used by the kidnappers to abduct McMynn.

Rossington spoke to someone in the car lot office who said the police had not contacted them, implying that somehow the police were incompetent.

Given that the girlfriend of the victim was present at the time of the abduction and was the one who gave them the information about the vehicle, did Rossington really believe that the police wouldn’t have followed up on their only solid lead from the get-go? It strains credulity well past the breaking point to even contemplate such a notion a week into the kidnapping.

And, let’s face it, saying that on the six o’clock news sends an entirely contradictory message to the kidnappers than what the police and the family were trying to get out which was to get the kidnappers to make contact. And in this, she placed McMynn’s life in further danger.

The Vancouver Police proved all the doubters and armchair quarterbacks wrong. They conducted an effective, successful investigation in the most trying of circumstances in the desperate attempt to save an innocent life.

The media and the police both have their role to play in a democratic society. Those roles need not always be at odds with each other. Especially when lives are at stake.

Leo Knight
leo@primetimecrime.com

Irresponsible media hamper police investigation

The media attention on the kidnapping case of a young Vancouver man has been like nothing I’ve ever seen in this type of case. It may also have harmed the police investigation and made it much more difficult for the police to bring about a safe, successful resolution.

Late Tuesday morning, Graham McMynn, 23, a UBC student, was snatched off a street in broad daylight by armed Asian gunmen, leaving his distraught girlfriend screaming for help on the street. By early afternoon CTV news had a microwave truck positioned outside the McMynn home. A news crew from Global was on the scene as well, but they chose to be much more discreet.

In short order radio station CKNW were broadcasting news of the kidnapping, admittedly with few details.

Police asked that the media sit on the story knowing full-well that in kidnapping cases their ability to control the information known to those responsible is critical.

That evening, the debate raged in newsrooms throughout Vancouver, whether to go with the story or not. Responsible newsrooms like BCTV on Global, CBC and The Province made the right decision.

CITY TV decided not to go with the story on their six o’clock broadcast, but had a reporter ready to do a “live hit” if the other stations went with it. CTV ignored the pleas from the police and led with the story so CITY did their live hit ten minutes into the newscast.

With the actions of CTV, the damage was done. The next day all the other media outlets were in overdrive with coverage of the scant details and clamouring for more. That afternoon, VPD held a press conference to try and quell the coverage

Two days later with coverage of the story now abounding, the family put out an emotional plea to encourage the kidnappers to make contact. It appears as though the barrage of media coverage gave them cold feet.

How this will end up is anyone’s guess. The Vancouver police are throwing every possible resource at the investigation. But without contact from the kidnappers their ability to negotiate a settlement is severely hampered.

While I don’t know the motives for this kidnapping, it has all the hallmarks of a kidnapping for ransom case. Indeed, elements of Asian organized crime use kidnapping of wealthy people as a significant revenue source in their day-to-day illicit activities. Most you never hear about, or you hear about after the fact, when the case has been successfully concluded.

Typically, the gangsters contact the family of the victim in short order making a ransom demand and tell them not to involve the police. Equally, the police use a media blackout to reinforce the idea that the kidnappers and the family are negotiating a “business transaction.”

It seems highly likely that the broadcast media coverage of this event has derailed the plans, however misguided, of the kidnappers. One can only hope that tragedy will not be the result.

Leo Knight
leo@primetimecrime.com

When is an investigation not an investigation

So, what’s with the RCMP saying they are investigating the sinking of the Queen of the North one day and then getting all wussy about it the next?

Yesterday, The Province reported they had begun an investigation into the sinking. Reporter Matthew Ramsay quoted Sgt. Ken Burton saying, “The RCMP is running a parallel and concurrent investigation. We are exploring all the circumstances surrounding this unfortunate event.”

Sounds pretty unequivocal to me. But then the day the story appears, BC Ferries boss David Hahn denies any such thing and calls the story “reckless” and RCMP media flak Sgt. John Ward says they are only at the stage of determining whether they will do an investigation.

But, when asked if the Province story was wrong, Ward had this to say: “I don’t think you were wrong. I don’t think Burton was wrong.”

So, which is it? Is the RCMP back-pedalling because Hahn didn’t like the inference that someone at Ferries had done something criminal that led to the ferry sinking and the apparent loss of two lives?

While we can’t discount the possibility of some type of equipment failure, it seems pretty clear to me that the tragedy was likely the result of either human error or human misconduct. The first would not be criminal, the second would. With a boat on the bottom and two people missing and presumed drowned, if there is a possibility of criminal behaviour being the cause, the RCMP are duty-bound to investigate regardless of what David Hahn thinks.

This is no different than any other type of sudden death investigation in that end. The police investigate and make a determination. If that determination is criminal in nature then the process follows that line. If not, then the matter is closed from a police point of view.

And let’s be clear about this. The ship struck a rock in a channel that it has been sailing through for decades. How did that happen? Because whatever the answer to that question is, is directly responsible for the deaths of two people.

And that is a police matter.

Leo Knight
leo@primetimecrime.com

Justice denied for innocent cop

The case of former RCMP Constable John Hudak is more than a little troubling.

Hudak’s story, called Branded for Life was told on CTV’s  W5 . Hudak was a small-town cop, a Mountie involved in his community who was accused of sexual assault by a local nurse, Mildred Johnson, 58.

By all accounts it would appear as though the investigation was botched early on and in reality, it should have clearly determined that the complainant was either wrong, or more accurately, deliberate in a false accusation of a man who had spurned her attentions.

Hell hath no fury and all that, but this case literally screams out that the man in this case is clearly not the predator and the woman clearly is. Unfortunately, all too often the system is too politically correct to get its head around that concept.

Any allegation of a sex assault should be treated seriously. But, as any investigator of sex crimes will tell you, the majority of complaints they get are unfounded or vindictive. That’s not a popular statement but it is very accurate.

As much as the ultra-feminist movement would have us believe that men are evil predators, the reality is that women are by far and away, more dangerous in the way they use the public perception to gain either an advantage or vengeance.

While this certainly doesn’t pretend that some men aren’t sexual predators, it also doesn’t automatically assume the woman making the complaint is telling the truth. In point of fact, as I said, the majority of complaints made to police are either unfounded or untruthful.

And that is what is truly puzzling about the Hudak case. The woman involved has a history of making unfounded allegations of this nature. Yet the RCMP apparently never checked the woman’s background. Why not?

Equally, DNA evidence seized form Johnson’s couch proved to be a mixed sample and the male portion was not from Hudak. And, in the course of the investigation, Hudak took a polygraph which concluded that he was telling the truth.

Hudak’s detachment commander protested in vain to the Mountie brass that they were prosecuting an innocent man. Yet, the prosecution soldiered on.

Hudak was ultimately acquitted in a courtroom he should have never been in except as a witness in the mischief case against Mildred Johnson, a prosecution that will likely never occur.

But Hudak will always have the label ‘sex offender” attached to him even though he was acquitted.  Once accused of that sort of crime, the stigma is always there.

Why was Hudak charged when there was essentially no evidence against him and a mountain of evidence to indicate Mildred Johnson was fabricating the allegation?

Most likely it was simply because he was a cop. And this is something that has always bothered me.

It is true that the police must be held to a higher standard and as such, they must be purer than Caesar’s wife.  But, they should also not subject to a prosecution when the evidence doesn’t support it.

It takes balls for a police chief or other senior police management to stand up and back their members publicly when it is the right thing to do. And I’m not talking about covering up inappropriate behaviour as we have seen more often than I’d care to admit.

No, I’m talking about doing the right thing when it is appropriate. And it is just that testicular fortitude that was missing in the senior management of the RCMP in the Hudak case.

Leo Knight
leo@primetimecrime.com

Harper's bold moves show promise

Despite the incessant whining from the lib/left, and I include the bulk of the mainstream media in this, I think newly-minted Prime Minister Stephen Harper is off to a pretty good start.

He made some moves in the wake of the election of his minority government that will serve to unite the centre-right of the country politically and at least give his Conservatives the chance to be more than a political flash-in-the-pan.

Harper knows that the Liberals need to re-invent themselves after ten years of Martinite/Chretienite blood-letting. Without seats among the tongue-clucking classes in the three major urban areas of the country, he addressed these gaps by appointing Michael Fortier and David Emerson to cabinet posts.

Fortier is a major Tory political force in Quebec and Emerson is a well-respected businessman first recruited by Paul Martin in one of his infrequent moments of clarity.

The floor-crossing of Emerson has created an outcry from the lefty/unionist types in the blue collar riding of Vancouver-Kingsway, but really, I fail to see why it should be still on anyone’s radar screen this long after the appointment.

Yes, Emerson was elected as a Liberal. But frankly, Emerson is far from a Grit true-believer. He is still the same man the riding elected only now he has a seat at the cabinet table. If the trendy lefties in Vancouver Kingsway are so worried that the “scary Harper” might unleash his “hidden agenda” upon an unsuspecting population, aren’t they in a much better position to monitor that with a member in cabinet?

They are squealing like scalded cats but really, it’s much ado about nothing. Emerson will represent his riding ethically and responsibly, the hallmarks of his career at every turn thus far. And the sanctimonious whining from those who simply won’t move on is getting ever more tedious.

Fortier is an equally bold move. With a beachhead in Quebec, Harper moved to further align the federalist segment of the population that he needs to blunt the ambitions of the separatists who believed they were on a winning path to another referendum when the Liberals were caught inflagrente dilecto (yet again) only this time, with Adscam, it was more than anyone could stand.

True, he wasn’t elected and was appointed to the Senate in order to have him in Cabinet. While that may seem at odds with the democratic ideals of the Conservatives, it was a very pragmatic short-cut to bring the Quebec federalists on board. Or, at least, giving the Tories a chance to get them on board.

Make no mistake about it, Bloc Quebecois Leader Gilles Duceppe saw the demise of the Liberals as a chance to re-energize his foundering separatist movement. With the electoral beachhead and the appointment of Fortier, Harper is demonstrating that the Tories are the logical alternative to those in Quebec who wish to see this country remain as a single entity.

It’s very early in Harper’s mandate and the upcoming budget and Throne Speech will be the real litmus test to see if Harper is the real meal deal or doomed to be a footnote in history. But frankly, his first few weeks have shown he is prepared to be bold and decisive.

Leo Knight
leo@primetimecrime.com

'Skids' clean up needs support

I'm more than a little heartened to see Vancouver Police Inspector Bob Rolls talking tough about cleaning up the world's largest open air drug bazaar, the Downtown Eastside. Or, as it was known when I walked a beat on its mean streets, " The Skids."

But talk is cheap. And the real test of this is whether the courts, the Crown and the Department itself, will withstand the inevitable pressure they will face as they proceed with their stated "zero tolerance" policy.

When I first set foot on the "beat" in the Skids it was a different job. In those days, in the early '80s, the beat was a coveted job. It was only given to those officers who had proven themselves in patrol cars to have the right stuff.

In those days, the beat squad in the Skids was totally self-driven in terms of the work that was done. We weren't responsible for radio calls and our work as part of the 12 man crew was totally self-generated. We went out and found the bad guys and put them in jail. In some ways it was a much more simple life. Within hours of a new guy arriving on the beat he was challenged. Not in the way the word is used today, but in the manner of the Wild, Wild West. To see how tough you were. One of the local street thugs would throw down the gauntlet and you either picked it up and hit him with it or you didn't last for much longer on the beat. That was just the way it was.

But, in those days we ruled the streets. There was no such thing as junkies using in plain view or dealers advertising their lethal wares blatantly on every street corner. No, in those days the junkies and dealers hid from the police.

Then something went awry. Maybe it was when we started referring to the dealers, users, muggers, rapists, thieves and assorted buttheads as “clients.” Maybe it was when we started swallowing the so-called “Four Pillars” nonsense that allowed the assholes to take control of the streets.

But the bottom line is that we let the streets get away from us. And by us, I mean the police. And that is the essential question in the message being sent out by the VPD. Will the department back those officers who pick up the gauntlet and smack some Honduran crack dealer in the chops with it?

Because, like it or not, that is what is required. And PIVOT and VANDU need to be told that their bovine scatology is irrelevant. A junkie makes a choice and the result is not a “social issue” but a crime issue. And there’s the rub.

No one, as far as I can see, is prepared to tell these groups to get stuffed. And that will be an issue when VPD tries to clean the streets of the ubiquitous junkies and death dealers that have been given a free pass in the Skids over the past 10-15 years.

Leo Knight
leo@primetimecrime.com

Move on please

Is it just me, or is the media making a mountain out of a molehill on the David Emerson defection to the Tories?

And then there was the comments by the gone but not missed, former Prime Minister Paul Martin yesterday. He's astonished apparently, that someone he plucked out of the private sector with promises of a cabinet post would have been plucked from the Liberal backbences by the promise of a cabinet post.

Why he would wait more than ten days to tell a disinterested country that he's "astonished" is anyone's guess. But frankly, Martin is yesterday's man and few, if any, are interested in his opinion on anything.

And today NDP leader Jack Layton is swanning into Vancovuer to "make sure the matter doesn't die." Give us a break Jack. Everyone in the country, with the exception of the liberal media and the looney left has come to grips with why it was done and, agree or not, has moved on. There's nothing left to be gained in trying to engage the nation this extended period of political flagellation. Move on. For God's sake, move on.

Leo Knight

leo@primetimecrime.com

Is the Chief Justice afraid of change?

It was interesting to see the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada trying to cling on the last vestige of Liberal domination on the Canadian political scene by chiding Prime Minister Designate Stephen Harper not to "politicize" the appointing of a new Justice to the top court.

It is hard to imagine the process being any more political given the appointment is at the sole discretion of the Prime Minister. And, as evidenced by more than a decade of very liberal Liberal appointees, the PM will appoint someone who has a similar vision to that of the person doing the appointing.

Madame Justice Beverly McLachlin seems to think that the status quo is just ducky and is evidently afraid that Harper will appoint someone who doesn't share their soft on crime view of the country.

Let's be realistic, the decisions of the SCOC are the reason crime is running rampant across this country. A couple of cases readily come to mind like R v Feeney and R v Stintchcombe. These are glaring examples where the SCOC came to conclusions that have not only defied the logic of the average person, but dramatically hampered the prosecution of criminals and altered forever the ability of the police to do their job.

In her "advice" to Harper, Madam Justice McLachlin said, "And I think in order to preserve the public confidence in the impartiality of the courts, we should avoid politicizing it," McLachlin said.

Well that's certianly interesting. Does the learned judge actually believe that Canadians have any confidence in the impartiality of the courts?

I think not. Canadians perceive that the court system is designed to do everything to protect the rights of the accused and does precious little to protect society and the victims of crime. That is hardly a perception of "public confidence."

Stephen Harper has long been an avocate for change in the way judicial appointments are made in this country. He has spoken out in favour of de-politicizing the process and making appointees subject to the scrutiny of Parliament. Whether some form of scrutinizing committee of MPs will work or not is another discussion especially when you look at the Alito hearings in the US Senate these last few weeks. But at least Harper is talking about change. Which is more than can be said about the Chief Justice.

Leo Knight
leo@primetimecrime.com

Election thoughts

As I write this it seems as though the country in going to have a change in government. Unfortunately, the Conservatives have not been given a majority government but a minority of some twenty or so seats.

How, given the corruption, cronyism and blatent disregard for democracy, has the Liberal party managed to retain over 100 seats in Parliament? However, it is not all bad news in this deranged Dominion.

Convicted jewel thief Svend Robinson seems like he has been given the bum's rush in Vancouver Centre. May he never darken our doorstep again.

And speaking of that, from a personal point of view, I won't miss the Prime Minister Paul Martin either. There was a time when he seemed to hold the future of this country in his hands. But, his thirst for power nearly destroyed the Liberal party from within. And frankly, that thirst for power overshadowed whatever merits he may have had for the job of Prime Minister.

And so farewell and adieu.

The Tories have had a major breakthrough in Quebec. Gille Duceppe and the Bloc have lost a few seats. And with that, a small glimmer of hope appears in the fight for national unity.

It is also inconceivable to me that Don Bell has been re-elected in North Vancouver. Albeit, Cindy Silver is a political neophyte with virtually no profile, it seems bizarre to me that a man who personifes everything that is wrong with the Liberal party could attract enough voters to regain his seat. Such is life in Canada.

But, on the positive side, we have a new government, one that is unfettered with cronies demanding favours. It is up to Stephen Harper to show the country he has the mettle to be what many of us hope he can be.

Leo Knight

leo@primetimecrime.com

A cross country look at Editorial positions on Election 2006

A regular reader suggested that we provide a compilation of editorial positions on Election 2006 from across the country. Here then, in no particular order, is what we have found.

Leo Knight
leo@primetimecrime.com


National Post

Whatever happens on Jan. 23, Stephen Harper deserves credit for bringing the conservative movement in Canada to this point. As recently as 2003, conservatives were split between two bickering parties with very different cultures. It is a testament to his strong leadership that the party now appears so united and professional. Throughout it all, Mr. Harper has been subject to criticism -- not least, from us -- in regard to his style and tactics. He has borne such criticism with dignity, and has diligently kept to his message that this country can do better. He has certainly convinced us. And we hope he has convinced Canadian voters as well.
National Post editorial

The Gazette

The Liberal Party has failed, seriously and ignobly, on the principal issue of the day. For this reason, if no other, it is time for the Liberals to go.

The 2006 Conservative Party offers a program that can work very well for Quebec as a part of Canada. Given the Liberals' disgraceful abuse of the sacred trust of national unity, it's time for Quebecers to join their fellow Canadians in supporting Stephen Harper and the Conservatives.
The Gazette editorial

Ottawa Citizen

The Citizen has come out in support of the Conservatives. Unfortunately, their online editorial is hidden behind a subscription wall.
Ottawa Citizen editorial

Windsor Star

If your Canada includes Quebec, then your Canada cannot include another Liberal government under Prime Minister Paul Martin.
Windsor Star editorial

Edmonton Journal

It is time for change in Ottawa. It is time for a new government with fresh ideas, a different coalition of supporters and an entirely new cast of characters who are not wedded to the status quo and are not seduced by the notion that what's good for them is what's good for the country.
Edmonton Journal editorial

Calgary Herald

Therefore, having offered Canada capable people, sensible, moderate policies, and a credible promise to bring integrity to government, it is our hope Canadian voters reward Stephen Harper's Conservatives with a majority government on Monday.
Calgary Herald editorial

Vancouver Sun

It is time for a change in Ottawa.

Harper and the Conservatives have been slow to earn our trust. Even six months ago, they seemed desperate for power and focused solely on an angry, negative message. They provided little sense that they represented an alternative with which Canadians could feel comfortable.
Vancouver Sun editorial

The Province (Vancouver)

In the likelihood of a Tory minority, a British Columbia electoral map dominated by Conservatives with a smattering of New Democrats would serve us well.

It would also send an even stronger message to the Liberals -- now is the time to sit in the penalty box and think about how you got there.
The Province editorial

Victoria Times Colonist

We've been given enough promises from all three parties now that we should no longer be swayed by attack ads or dismayed by other mistakes that are sure to be made. We should use these last few days to look at the Liberal record and compare it to what the Conservatives have offered. We should examine the issues that separate the two.
Times Colonist editorial

Halifax Chronicle Herald

Mr. Harper’s strategy, to run a campaign focused on offering Canadians new policy choices, appears to have put him in the best position to win Monday’s election. The Conservative leader did well in the debates by staying unruffled by attacks of Mr. Martin and the other leaders. The tragic shooting in Toronto on Boxing Day amplified the Conservative message on getting tougher on crime, while the populist Tory pledge to cut the GST seemed to appeal to many people.
Chronicle Herald editorial

Ottawa Sun

The Liberals, by their actions and their attitude, have given up the right to govern just as surely as the Conservatives have earned the opportunity to put their plans into action.
Ottawa Sun editorial

Toronto Sun

After 12 years of Liberal rule, there is so much more important work to do, from fixing health care, to developing an adult relationship with the Americans, to rebuilding our military, to cementing the ties that bind our nation together, which the Liberals have frayed by their arrogance and corruption.

It's time to kick them out and give Harper and the Conservatives a chance to repair the damage the Grits have done.
Toronto Sun editorial

Toronto Star

Sadly, despite all efforts to portray himself as a changed, more moderate leader, such rhetoric smacks of the old Stephen Harper, one who barely two years ago lashed out at Liberals for allegedly stacking the courts with liberal-minded judges in a move to approve same-sex marriage.
Toronto Star editorial

Edmonton Sun

Prime Minister Stephen Harper. It has a nice ring to it. And that's the result that we want to see tomorrow night when the votes are counted
Edmonton Sun editorial

Calgary Sun

It appears Conservative Leader Stephen Harper is set to become our next prime minister and that's great by us.
Calgary Sun editorial

La Presse

En cette ère de soupçon, les électeurs se méfient des politiciens qui dissimulent leur véritable sensibilité. En taisant sa sympathie naturelle pour les Américains, le premier ministre a creusé sa propre tombe. Parce que les électeurs canadiens ne sont pas juste conviés à choisir une plate-forme électorale, mais aussi un homme d'État au jugement sûr, ils vont sans doute pencher pour un vrai conservateur plutôt qu'un faux libéral.

(translation) In this era of suspicion, the voters are wary of the politicians who dissimulate their true sensitivity. By concealing his natural sympathy to the Americans, the Prime Minister dug his own tomb. Because the Canadian voters are not just invited to choose an election platform, but also a statesman with sure judgement, they undoubtedly will lean for a true conservative rather as a false liberal.
La Presse editorial

The Fat Lady isn't singing yet

With everyone pretty much accepting that Stephen Harper and his Conservatives are going to form the next government, word comes in the form of a Decima poll suggesting that although Harper is holding his ten point lead nationally, the Liberals in Ontario have shown something of a resurgence.

The fat lady may be warming up in the room next door, but if Ontario goes solidly back to the Liberals, she may never get to take the stage. And that is troubling.

The winds of change may be blowing everywhere else in the country but there is still a large segment of the population of Ontario that seems to believe that the status quo is preferable to the legacy of corruption, entitlement and cronyism that has marked the last 12 years of Liberal domination in Ottawa.

Incredible.

Although there was good news for those of us who want to see an end to the Liberal stranglehold on the country. Harper's Tories have apparently made some terrific gains in Quebec of all places and Harper was there again today to reinforce his message to federalists.

Can the Tories elect MPs in Quebec? Hard to imagine, but certainly any path to a majority government requires the support of at least some of the ridings in that province. Certainly Gilles Duceppe seems to have come to grips with the issue and has turned his guns onto the Conservatives.

And speaking of guns, a litany of special interest groups and the usual suspects form the left are warning that a Harper government would wreak all manner of havoc.

Phil Fontaine, leader of the Assembly of First Nations was moaning in the media about Harper not being fully behind the Kelowna native deal reached in November. Then there was EGALE, the gay rights group saying: "If Stephen Harper goes ahead with his plan to reopen the divisive equal marriage debate, it will lead Canada into a legal swamp."

Huh?

And then there was the Canadian Climate Coalition who are worried that a Harper government would back away from the Kyoto accord orchestrated by Martin mentor and bribe-taker Maurice Strong. They accused Harper of moving Canada "into the same camp as U.S. President George W. Bush."

Anytime one of these left wing loons wants to discredit the Tories and Stephen Harper they invoke the name of the US President as though he is evil incarnate.

And Paul Martin was busy today shooting at all comers but couldn't resist yet another wild accusation that Harper has a "hidden agenda." I am really getting tired of that one. I only wish Martin would.

There are only a few days remaining until election day. The curtain may be ready to fall on a government bereft of ideas and riddled with corruption. But, the fat lady is still only warming up her vocal chords.

Leo Knight

leo@primetimecrime.com

Spin City

I'm trying not to get too excited about the prospect of a Conservative government. And in this last week of the campaign I have to admit I am harboring more than a little trepidation that something very weird is going to happen to derail the momentum the Tories seem to be gaining.

In the dying days of the campaign PM Paul Martin is still relying on the "Harper is scary" message that proved so successful in the last campaign. But that is so 2004. And as the polls are showing, this is not.

NDP leader Jack Layton is still barking about tax cuts to "banks and oil companies" as though there aren't any other idustries out there who employ people and are chaffing under the tax burdens levied by the Liberals to provide the dollars they can steal.

Today, Paul Martin was in Vancouver appearing before the Board of Trade ostensibly to talk about about crime, an issue resonating with most voters. But no, crime wasn't on his radar screen. He went on about if Harper is elected then he will cut the precious social programs the Libs seem to think are precious to Canadians.

Really.

From a personal point of view I'd look forward to any government, Conservative or otherwise, that would rid this country of nonsense programs liked the gun registry and state mandated indoctrination centres. . . .sorry, day care facilities.

And don't get me started on the moribund health care system that even the Supreme Court has recognized as flawed.

More tomorrow. . . .

Leo Knight

leo@primetimecrime.com

Layton tries to talk tough

Was that really NDP leader Jack Layton trying to talk tough on crime today? Now that's funny!

Layton and his gang of group huggers are desperate to jump on the bandwagon since crime became a dominant issue in the federal election campaign. Today he was touting his solutions to the problem and predictably, he demonstrated the next time he gets a good idea will be the first time.

Among the foolishness uttered by Layton was this gem as reported by CTV. "He said his party would reduce access to crystal meth by stopping the illegitimate importation and sale of the drug. As well as increasing support for drug addiction programs."

I don't know where to start with that pearl of wisdom. He is going to stop the importation and sale of crystal meth! And just how, pray tell, is he going to do that? What sort of magic wand has he got that thus far has failed the entire drug enforcement apparatus of the United States who, I should add, are a great deal more active in the war on illegal drugs than anything this country has been able to muster.

Paul Martin says banning handguns (which are essentially already banned) is the answer to the gun crime spiralling out of control in this country while Layton has fanciful notions that he could actually stop the importation and sale of crystal meth.

These are our leaders. Sad isn't it?

Leo Knight

leo@primetimecrime.com

Martin spins to defend Minister under the gun

Prime Minister Paul Martin's spirited defense of embattled Finance Minister Relph Goodale is admirable in his loyalty to a trusted lieutenant but certainly nothing but an attempt at spinning a bad situation.

While speaking to the media, Martin said, "I believe that an investigation, as does he, will clear the air -- including the allegation as to whether or not a leak actually took place. The RCMP have said that there is no evidence of wrongdoing on Mr. Goodale's behalf, his office or his department."

One has a very difficult time believing the RCMP would advise the Prime Minister of something as definitive as that just as the investigation is beginning. How could they possibly know what evidence they will or will not uncover when they have not yet begun the investigation?

Martin's spin is nonsense and designed to deflect the calls for the resignation of a Minister under the cloud of a police investigation.

In the British parliamentary system, the Minister is responsible for the actions of his or her department. Traditionally, the Minister should fall on his sword should there be wrongdoing uncovered in the ministry. Equally, should that Minister be under a cloud of suspicion, then he or she should resign pending reinstatement when that cloud is lifted.

But, it would seem that only happens with an ethical government. That apparently does not include the government of Paul Martin.

Leo Knight
leo@primetimecrime.com

Talk is cheap

The rhetoric is flying fast and furious from politicians of all stripes as the country tries to come to grips with the indiscrimate shooting that occurred on Boxing Day in Toronto.

The Prime Minister was fast out of the gate with a bunch of empty words that said exactly nothing about bringing about the type of change necessary to combat the senseless violence. Not that I would expect much else from him, but a real leader would stand up and meet the problem head on.

NDP leader Jack Layton got a little closer to the mark with his comments. "These crimes remind us that we must get illegal handguns off our streets in Toronto and across Canada. To do that we need tougher border controls, tougher sentencing for weapons offences and tougher anti-gang policing, prosecutions and sentencing."

Sounds good until the very next thing out of his mouth. "We need more effective witness-protection programs and more compassionate victim assistance. We also need to get tougher -- much tougher -- on poverty, unemployment and social exclusion."

Uh-huh. More socialist claptrap. I mean really, social exclusion? We are the most inclusive country in the world.

Conservative leader Stephen Harper at least seemed to focus on the issue when he said, "I am committed to doing everything necessary to crack down on gun violence, including increasing support for front-line policing; stopping the revolving door on our nation's sentencing system by introducing mandatory prison sentences; enforcing Canada's tough gun control laws; stopping the flow of illegal guns at our borders; as well as supporting community programs for youth at risk. I will have more to say about this in the days to come."

I suspect they all will have more to say on the issue in upcoming days. And what they say will be telling as the events in Toronto have propelled crime up the list in election issues. Only Harper seems to have grasped this fact thus far.

Leo Knight

leo@primetimecrime.com

A Christmas filled with horror

The news started breaking around the supper hour on Boxing Day. By this morning the full horror of what happened in a busy shopping area in downtown Toronto was clear. Two groups of rival thugs started tossing shots at each other with the streets full of people taking advantage of the best shopping day of the year.

When the smoke cleared, seven people had been shot and one was dead, a 15 year old girl out shopping with her family. An innocent victim of the escalating insanity dead with her whole life in front of her. It is absolutely outrageous.

These little pissants don't give a damn about the rules of a civilized society and it is way beyond time we recognized that in this country and started doing something to take back our streets.

We should all be sick and tired of the pablum we are being spoon-fed telling us that our sad excuse of a justice system is working. We are constantly being told that these scumbags deserve more chances and that jail doesn't work because they will be eventually let out.

I call Bullshit!

When a 15 year old girl can't go shopping with her family without getting shot, something is horribly wrong. And that something is the concept that the rights of the accused supersedes the rights of society to be protected. The concept of lawyers and the judiciary worshipping before the altar of the Charter in this country must stop.

Vancouver has the highest property crime rate on the continent. Surrey and Abbotsford, both suburbs of Vancouver, are number one and three respectively for the highest rates of car theft in North America. Toronto is setting historical records for the numbers of shootings and the number of handgun related deaths this year is twice the previous record. Edmonton is having a banner year in homicides and gang violence in Calgary is at an all time high.

The proliferation of organized crime is out of control and the government has done precious little to stem the rising tide.

Enough is enough.

We are in the middle of a federal election and the main issue in this country should be crime and the protection of society not whether or not Stephen Harper would call a free vote on gay marriage. Who cares if two men want to call themselves married? As long as the churches in this country can follow their respective doctrines and not be forced to participate, who really cares? This is not a campaign issue, it's a red herring put out there by a government bereft of ideas or morals.

We all have an opportunity in front of us to send a message that the status quo is not acceptable. And I'm not talking about the theft of millions of dollars by the Liberals.

No, I'm talking about demanding our politicians understand their primary duty is to protect the population as a whole and not just special interest groups, friends and party workers. They should then tell us exactly how they are going to do that. And then, and only then, consider whether they deserve your vote.

Our country is at a crossroads. This is not a left or right issue, this is a right and wrong issue. It is wrong to let the criminals do as they please, to snub their noses at society and then get no barriers placed in front of them to halt their criminal behaviour.

The murder yesterday of an innocent teenaged girl in Toronto is so outrageous it should wake up even the most somambulent of voters. I want to hear what everyone running for public office is going to do to fix a horribly broken system.

Enough is enough.

Leo Knight

leo@primetimecrime.com

Martin just doesn't get it

Prime Minister Paul Martin’s proposed ban on handguns is further proof that he just doesn’t get it.

Crime is a huge problem in this country. Certainly the bodies falling on the streets of our cities is cause for concern, but this is no more a solution to gunfire on the streets than the gun registry was a solution to a lunatic misogynist like Marc Lepine.

Criminals have it easy in this country. All criminals – from shoplifters to Mafia kingpins and all stops in between. There are no meaningful consequences for committing crimes in this country. It is no more complicated than that.

Justice, such as it is, takes far too long to be delivered and when decision is finally rendered, it provides no solace for victims nor protection for the public. But, and more importantly, neither does it provide deterrence or punishment for the criminal. Well, nothing meaningful anyway.

Giving a street thug probation for breeching a probation order is not justice. Yet, that is the practical reality every day across this country. What about jail you ask? Not in this country. It is exceptionally difficult to go to jail in Canada for anything short of homicide and even then I’m still shaking my head at the conditional sentences given to the street racers convicted of criminal negligence causing death for killing Irene Thorpe.

If Martin really wanted to attack the proliferation of gun crime in our streets all he need do is amend the Criminal Code to tell the courts what to do and not let those ermine clad wonders on the Supreme Court bench tell the country what is good for us. Take back the country from the liberal social engineers who are convinced that all people will fit their image of what a good person is and will change their evil ways if given enough chances.

Commit a crime with a gun? Simple solution, you go to jail for years, not days. You don’t get a conditional sentence. You don’t get to piss about on probation. This is no different than stopping a puppy from peeing on your carpet. The puppy sees some consequences for his actions and eventually the behaviour is modified until it is acceptable.

Handguns have been tightly controlled in this country since 1934. According to StatsCan, two thirds of all gun related homicides are committed with handguns and 84% of those are committed with unregistered handguns. The Liberals have spent $2 billion on their stupid long-barrel gun registry and what has that achieved? Nada, nothing, zilch. Any legislation to further control handguns will not prevent one single, solitary death. But, knowing Martin it will probably cost a lot of money and employ a lot of bureaucrats who can speak both official languages.

Martin doesn’t get it and he never will.

Leo Knight
leo@primetimecrime.com

Harper takes advantage of Martin's delirium

I realize it’s early in the campaign yet and far too soon to be making any predictions, but it certainly seems that Conservative leader Stephen Harper has seized the momentum out of the blocks.

Thus far he has unveiled a new plank of the Tory platform every day including his promise to trim two points off the hated GST, something that resonates with most, if not all Canadians.

Prime Minister Paul Martin has stumbled out of the gate and even taken the first weekend off to regroup. But before he limped back to 24 Sussex, Martin came out with one of the most inane comments ever uttered in any election campaign in this country’s history.

This appeared in a “brief” in yesterday’s Ottawa Citizen:

Martin Makes His Pitch to Asian Canadian Voters

"Sometimes election campaigns can travel to so many cities and towns in a day it gets hard to remember what time it is or where you are. But Prime Minister Paul Martin appeared to forget what country he was in yesterday. During a series of interviews with Chinese media organizations, Mr. Martin attempted to explain to the interviewer how important the Chinese Canadian community is to the country. In fact, he announced that Canada has geographically moved its borders to be closer to them. "What we really are saying is we're a major Asian country," Mr. Martin told Omni TV, to roars of laughter from the Canadian media watching the interview."

Canada a major Asian country? Geographically moved our borders to be closer to Asia? Has he lost all touch with reality?

Harper has been strong thus far in deliberately and methodically saying what a Conservative government will do. Martin is musing about Canada’s place in Asia? The 60’s were apparently good to him.

Then there was NDP leader Jack Layton in Vancouver on the weekend trying to justify having a convicted thief on the slate when he actually said disgraced former MP Svend Robinson was an example in his behaviour.

"Svend has a long history of serving his community and standing up for people on many issues, and I think his behaviour, given what happened, has been exemplary and Canadians and his voters will certainly understand that and appreciate that," said Layton in response to reporter’s questions.

Really? Well, this Canadian voter does not understand that. Robinson got caught stealing a woman’s diamond ring worth over $50,000. He claimed he had some type of brain cramp. Well, whatever. He stole and got caught. The last thing this country needs is another thief in Ottawa. The Liberals have provided enough of them.

This election was driven because of the systemic corruption in the federal Liberal party. The combined opposition said the government lost its moral authority to govern. If ethics is the primary issue, one wonders how Layton can possibly defend the actions of Robinson with a straight face. But then again, Paul Martin thinks we are no longer on the North American continent.

All in all, it would seem, a good week for Stephen Harper.

Leo Knight
leo@primetimecrime.com

Throw the bums out

If the first day of the new federal election campaign is any indicator, this is going to be a nasty fight.

On CKNW’s Bill Good show before the Prime Minister even got to Rideau Hall to ask for the dissolution of Parliament, Mark Marissen, the Liberal Party of Canada campaign director in BC, came out swinging at the scariness of Stephen Harper. He evoked all the usual nonsense – the Tories are controlled by the religious right; gay marriage will be banned; women’s right to choose will be revoked.

Clearly the Liberals are heading into the campaign bereft of anything remotely resembling an original idea. They stole our money then spent the days leading up to the non-confidence vote in the House trying to bribe us with what was left of it. I don’t know what’s more shocking. That they would try such an obvious ploy or that there are still voters in this country who would let them get away with it.

The Liberals have proven at every turn that they are a tired, spent force as a government. Paul Martin played politics to a fare-thee-well to cling to power. He crawled into bed with Jack Layton to get his budget passed last spring and even bribed Belinda Stronach with a Cabinet post to turn her back on her party and her boyfriend. And then, when the opposition began demanding an election after the first Gomery report, he had the temerity to say he wouldn’t play politics, he was too busy trying to govern.

The vapid Liberal spin in the past couple of weeks is insulting to any Canadian with a lick of common sense. The latest is that the Tories have got into bed with the Bloc and thusly threaten the nation. What tripe!

The opposition is made up of three parties and a handful of independents. For their own reasons the parties agree they lost confidence in a government bereft of a moral compass. That is hardly climbing into bed with anyone for any nefarious purpose.

Indeed, it is the Liberals and the corruption that was demonstrated in the Sponsorship scandal that ultimately is threatening the federation. Couple that with the appointment of Jean Lapierre, founder of the BQ, as Minister of Transport after the last election and it is the Liberals who threaten Confederation. But that doesn’t fit their spin now does it?

The Liberals will try and convince you that Stephen Harper is the boogeyman. Martin will try to sell himself as the only logical choice because they are the “devil you know.” Well, we do know them. They are the party of corruption, of patronage, of entitlement and the party of scandal.

It’s time to throw the bums out.

Leo Knight
leo@primetimecrime.com

Liberal posturing fails to get at root of gun problem

Federal Justice Minister Irwin Cotler's announcement on manadatory minimum sentences for gun crimes proves yet again that they just don't get it.

On the face of it the Liberals need to show they can be tough on crime. After all, with Mr. Justice Gomery's final report due in February we will be going to the polls within the next six months whether or not the opposition can force an election earlier. And, any announcement from this government that appears to do anything to stem the rising tide of violent crime is welcome.

But realistically, Cotler's most recent foray into the debate about manadatory minimum sentences is nothing more that political posturing. And the Liberals can posture with the best.

The real issue is the illicit drug trade and the turf wars that go along with it. Organized crime in its many forms is at the centre of all of this and any attempt to deal with the gun violence in our cities needs to recognize this at the outset. And it is on the issue of organized crime that this government fails miserably.

Look at the report released by FINTRAC last week claiming they had identified over $2 billion in suspected money laundering and terrorist financing.

Hey, that's great guys! Now, if you don't mind, could you answer this: What have you done about it?

The short answer is nothing. They claim to have made 142 disclosures to law enforcement. Great. Now what are they going to do with it without the resources to actually investigate it?

And this is where the rubber meets the road in all of this. The RCMP are essentially the only organization that has the capability to do organized crime investigations. Municipal forces are focussed on meeting the demands for service in their various communities and are unwilling to commit any of their scarce resources to long-term, expensive investigations into organizations that don't recognize or respect borders.

That leaves the Mounties. There are a couple of special sections such as the CFSEU in Ontario, Quebec and now in BC as well since they usurped the Organized Crime Agency (OCABC). But they are small sections with limited budgets. To follow money laundering information such as FINTRAC provides, requires a large team of dedicated investigators, surveillance units, electronic intercepts and time. A lot of it. These investigations take more than a year on average and that is just to go after one of the 142 disclosures made by FINTRAC.

The bottom line is that the police are barely making a dent in organized crime in this country. The drug trade and the profits it generates for organized crime far surpasses any efforts the police are able to mount. And that leads to a lot of competition for control in the streets. And that leads to guns in the hands of street level gang-bangers, used by the real players as cannon fodder in the bigger game.

If Cotler and his colleagues really wanted to make a dent in gun crime, they would produce some initiatives to give law enforcement the tools and resources to actually wage a war against organized crime instead of only being able to engage in superficial skirmishes.

If they actually wanted to do something. But they don't. As best I can tell, all they want to do is cling to power.

Leo Knight
leo@primetimecrime.com