At a Canadian senate hearing last October, Bob Paulson, the head of Canada's national police force, the RCMP, confirmed that the forces' work on organized crime or in financial integrity matters was affected by increasing work on terrorism. “We’re doing what we can with what we’ve got.”
Photo Credit: Sean Kilpatrick/CP

Federal RCMP police focus on terrorism at cost of work on organized crime?

The fact that Canada’s national police force, the RCMP, is focusing more resources on fighting terrorism “is raising concerns that other important federal cases are taking a back seat” involving organized crime and financial crime, according to an article by journalist Douglas Quan published by Postmedia News Thursday (February 5).

Quan reports that “last October, RCMP Commissioner Bob Paulson told a Senate committee that 300 investigators had been pulled from organized crime and financial crime cases to help support 170 members dedicated to RCMP-led Integrated National Security Enforcement Teams across the country.”

He then quotes Pierre-Yves Bourduas, a retired RCMP deputy commissioner, saying that there is a legitimate concern that organized crime in the form of drug trafficking, human smuggling, identity theft, money laundering and fraud could “flourish”.

In the article Liberal Senator Colin Kenny voices scepticism about whether the RCMP can manage with existing resources.“I can’t understand how you’re OK. I know about the efficiencies that you’re creating in headquarters, but it just seems to me remarkable that we’re in this state of affairs and we’re cutting back on the budget of the police.”

More information:
Postmedia News – AS RCMP focuses on terrorism, it’s a ‘great day’ to be in organized crime – here

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