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101 Reasons to be a Union Member .....

We have all heard about the benefits of belonging to an organization such as the USGE-PSAC. Yet, to some of us, it remains an abstract, intangible thing.

With the threat of COE looming in the horizon, it becomes imperative that we become aware of what we might lose should we lose the ability to be part of these organizations.

In order to bring home this point, we will be sharing with you one of our member’s real life experiences. This is a time when we need to support each other. We invite all of you to share your experiences with us by submitting your stories to your Local Presidents. Please indicate if you will permit us to use your name. Your contributions are just as valuable if you wish to remain anonymous. Please let us know what you think of this initiative.

"The (force's) assessment was completed and found there were not sufficient grounds to move forward with a criminal investigation," said Cpl. Michele Paradis, a spokesperson for the RCMP in Ontario.

"The (force's) assessment was completed and found there were not sufficient grounds to move forward with a criminal investigation," said Cpl. Michele Paradis, a spokesperson for the RCMP in Ontario.

RCMP unable to pursue organized crime
report: Lacking manpower

James Gordon
CanWest News Service


Monday, August 14, 2006


OTTAWA - The RCMP squad that tracks down dirty money and goods obtained through crime cannot pursue the majority of cases it knows about due to lack of manpower, internal documents reveal.

According to an internal evaluation obtained by CanWest News Service, for each case the Mounties' Integrated Proceeds of Crime (IPOC) unit chooses to tackle, "at least four or five others" are ignored because the manpower isn't there.

"Many cases of missed opportunities were raised," reads the document, prepared by the federal government's internal auditing service. "All of the [officers in charge] were able to provide detailed reports of cases that had not been pursued, or for which the number of targets were limited to only a few when many more should have been pursued," it adds.

"In many cases, these targets were significant organized crime figures."

The evaluation repeatedly makes reference to "restricted impact" and "missed opportunities."

In an interview, the head of IPOC acknowledged the problems identified by the evaluators in 2005 continue to dog the unit today.

"There's been adjustments on our part," RCMP Staff Sergeant Bill Malone said. "Obviously, we've had to pick and choose which targets we go after. Unfortunately it's a very target-rich environment, but we increasingly can't get around to doing all of them."

In the absence of an ability to cast a wide net, Malone said, higher-ranking crime bosses are targeted with hopes that "by cutting off the head, the animal will die."

Instances of the RCMP not being able to take down serious gangs appear to be an ongoing theme.

RCMP Commissioner Giuliano Zaccardelli told the standing Senate committee on national security and defence in May that the Mounties can only fight a small fraction of organized crime in Canada.

"At this point in time, our best guess is that we're able to tackle maybe a third of what we know is out there, in terms of serious organized crime," Zaccardelli said at the time, adding that was probably a generous estimate. "And remember, when I say one-third, that's of what we know."

He referred to a wide swath of groups, including outlaw motorcycle gangs and Italian, Russian and Asian organized crime.

Although the Conservative government announced in its spring budget $37-million to expand the RCMP's training facilities in Regina and $161-million for prosecutors and 1,000 officers, it is unclear exactly where that money will go. In addition, the Commissioner's testimony revealed the amount likely won't be nearly enough to fulfill the promise.

Malone said the fact IPOC hasn't had a boost since 1996 means numerous cutbacks have been made to operations.

The IPOC evaluation was released to CanWest News Service under the Access to Information Act by the Department of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Canada after a 10-month delay.

It shows underfunding problems are trickling down to recruiting in several ways.

"Individuals also noted the difficulties of attracting and retaining resources from a limited pool of potential resources who are highly sought-after by various organizations," it says. "A long staffing process and a high learning curve exacerbate this problem."

Because the unit is technically without permanent funding, despite its long-term existence, evaluators believe some candidates might be reluctant to join up.

"The (force's) assessment was completed and found there were not sufficient grounds to move forward with a criminal investigation," said Cpl. Michele Paradis, a spokesperson for the RCMP in Ontario.

(Auditor-General Sheila Fraser) reported last November the RCMP improperly charged at least $3.4-million to the pension fund, but later paid it back. She also said "an estimated $1.3-million was charged to the pension and insurance plans to pay for commissions or products that provided little or no value, and for excessive payments to employees' friends and family members hired as temporary staff. The pension plan has been reimbursed or credited $270,280 of those unnecessary or wasteful expenditures."

Even though an RCMP disciplinary investigation found that proceeding with disciplinary action was warranted against four of its regular and civilian members, the RCMP decided too much time had elapsed, she reported in November.

Yesterday, Ms. Fraser said she undertook an audit of the pension fund after the completion of an investigation into the matter by the Ottawa police force.

...the RCMP decided too much time had elapsed,...