Fwd: STORY Trial of Jeremy Steinke goes to Calgary By Malcolm McColl

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From: Malcolm McColl <mccoll_writing_service_is@yahoo.ca>
Date: Thu, Nov 20, 2008 at 4:24 PM
Subject: STORY Trial of Jeremy Steinke goes to Calgary By Malcolm McColl
To: Jennifer <admin@crimewatchcanada.com>

Trial of Jeremy Steinke goes to Calgary  By Malcolm McColl PHOTO I believe the Medicine Hat Police could supply you with file photos of the alleged murderer The alleged accomplice of Canada's youngest multiple murderer (whose identity is protected by the Youth Offenders Act) is on trial in the last quarter of 2008. Jeremy Steinke's trial got underway in Calgary, Alberta in the third week of November and was expected to last three weeks. Last year in Medicine Hat, Alberta the girl was tried, convicted, and sentenced to between six and ten years in a psychiatric facility. Now the Crown is proceeding against Jeremy Steinke, 25 (23 at the time of the murders) as the other person involved in killing a family in Medicine Hat in April of 2006. The Crown seems willing to concede that Jeremy Steinke was led to the plot by the girl, however. In the first few days of the trial the Crown showed that Jeremy Steinke admitted to drinking heavily and doing cocaine at the outset of the killing spree, and he said to an undercover police officer posing as a fellow prisoner that she (known as JR in Crown evidence, documentation) killed the 8 year old brother. The Crown submitted evidence that Jeremy Steinke did the killings, and presented audio tape of him admitting he was responsible for ending at least two of the three lives the night of April 22 and 23, 2006 in southern Alberta city. He was spurred on by a relationship with a pre-teen girl and deluded by her suggestions that were made sort of publicly on a goth cult website. An evil pact was openly hatched on the internet between the convicted JR and Jeremy Steinke, and it begs the question: how could he be proudly and brazenly plotting and executing first degree murder of three unsuspecting people in their slumber, and suddenly turn shy about it to a different yet equally public audience, this one a jury of six men and six women and the public in a courtroom? Perhaps Jeremy Steinke lacks the genuine conviction of his goth cult ways, or perhaps he was really led to murder by his love for a child. Everybody loves children, but murderous fools follow their direction. (Another example of this foolishness was King Herod who beheaded John the Baptist to please his charming little daughter. Where did that get him?) This may be the crux of Jeremy Steinke's defense, that he murdered in cold blood, yes, but reluctantly, and had tried, but failed, to talk her out of it. She spurred him on, as "I am a man of my word." The Crown prosecutors Ramona Robins and Brandy Shaw assert in their own words that this kind of delusion requires a minimum 25 years of close contemplation in a maximum security prison. Crown prosecutor Ramona Robins told the court that JR was "the motive and Steinke was the means." The Crown said the two socially networked on Nexopia. The girl was Runaway Devil; Jeremy Steinke went by Souleater. They had pictures posted of their faces glossed in white paste theatrical makeup and black eye liner. Halloween lasted all year for this pair. "Mr. Steinke would do anything for [JR], and that included participating in the planned and deliberate murders of her parents and little brother," said the prosecutor, as widely reported in Canadian news media. It was in a sublime audio taped interview (witnessed by a sheriff) in which Steinke said he tried to talk the girl out of the killings, "but she wouldn't have it that way." On the other hand he was likening his actions to a script from a movie, like he was acting in a version of  "Natural Born Killers." It got worse for undercover officer Const. Cory Both when Steinke talked about the killing of the mother first, followed immediately by a desperate struggle with the father. Steinke was matter of fact about disclosing the father's dying words, "Why?" to which Jeremy Steinke had replied, "Because your daughter wanted it that way." He apparently added something about the father mistreating his daughter. Apparently the girl "hated her parents for restricting her relationship with Mr. Steinke," the Crown said. The relationship went on-line, and all downhill from there, into "Rawr, I hate them. So I have this plan. It begins with me killing them, and ends with me living with you," as one message said, as posted by Runaway Devil, on Mar 20, 2006, 33 days before the murders. On Mar 21, 2oo6, the souleater responds, "Well I love your plan but we need to get a little more creative with like details and stuff." He seemed to be leading the drama as much as following according to his reply post on the internet. Why did Jeremy Steinke do it? "Because you love somebody enough, you'll do anything for 'em no matter what the consequences," he said to Officer Both in the interview conducted surreptitiously enroute to a psychiatric assessment. In the tape of the interview played to the court Steinke described breaking into the house through a basement window and launching into the mayhem that ensued. He said he stabbed the mother first when she came downstairs. She screamed and her husband ran down with a screwdriver, surprising the blood-drinking, drug addled intruder and inflicting a glancing blow to Jeremy Steinke. The goth vampire prevailed over the portly father and stabbed him to death. "He came barrelling downstairs ... came at me real fast," Jeremy Steinke said on the tape. "Last thing I really remember was him ... laying on the ground asking me, "Why?," and I said, "Your daughter ... she wanted it this way." At this point Jeremy Steinke rallied with JR and they hunted down her little brother and he said she slit his throat. According to some reports the boy was first heard to say, "I'm too young." The crime scene was discovered the next morning by the young boy's neighbouring friend and the boy's mother, and she called police. Some witnesses (with up to 48 to be summoned in three weeks) have the goth couple celebrating the murders together from the outset, in fact, chomping down fast food, visiting friends, laughing and cavorting in the city on Apr. 24, and finally leaving with assistance from friends, whereupon police followed those leads to arrested the group Apr. 25, 2006 in Leader, Saskatchewan. "It was all her idea, but when someone you love asks you to do something, you do it." His idea was and possibly still is to run away to Germany and marry JR, save his money, buy a castle. Normal dreams for goth nightmare alleged multiple murderers who admit to drinking blood; presumably he's talking about human blood to Officer Both. The officer asked another question. Does Steinke think his girlfriend JR is crazy? "Yeah, she's f---ing crazy. I'm just a little bit crazy, but the drugs didn't help." "First, I would like to tell you a little bit about the City of Medicine Hat," said Crown Prosecutor Ramona Robins," who lives there, and is prosecuting the case in Calgary, "Medicine Hat is a small city of just over 60,000 people.  It is 300 kilometres southeast of Calgary. Medicine Hat has its own police force with just over 100 officers, including patrol crews and forensic identification units who are crime scene investigators." Entering the middle class multi-level home in the tidy neighbourhood on Apr. 23, 2006, the police discovered three dead bodies and a photograph with the victims. One person in the photo was missing. Const. Ian Scrivener of the Medicine Hat Police Service gave a description of the scene encountered by a team of officers. He found the 8 year old with an "obvious wound to his neck" and a knife found nearby in a bathroom. Elsewhere in the house officers found the father with a broken bloodied knife beside him and the mother laying dead in a pool of blood with the family dog barking endlessly. When it turned out the girl in a family photograph was absent the horrific crime scene, police heard she was spinning around town eating greasy food and necking with her boyfriend, and even bragging about being a murderer. The couple rallied with a trio of Goth teenager women from The Hat who cleaned up Jeremy Steinke's truck and helped them beat it out of town. The group of five were arrested the next day in the aforementioned Saskatchewan town. The two murderers were snuggling in the back of the truck under a canopy. The three goth accomplices to the escape were in the truck cabin. They were parked at a convenience store in the town. Police moved in on the truck bearing Alberta plates and arrested them all. They found a couple of knives and evidence including the slain mother's wallet. One of the other participants was convicted of obstruction of justice and received a sentence of probation for 20 months. The other accomplice faces charges of being an accessory to murder and has a court date this month December 2008. The Crown said forensic and DNA evidence points to Jeremy Steinke's involvement and would be admitted into evidence. Last year Paula Todd's had a guests on the CTV show The Verdict who said maybe this is could be vampire culture at work. Professor Stephen Kent, U of A sociologist, noted the internet environment has a number of sites devoted to vampire 'cult' and those places have people finding encouragement that fuels fantasies, perhaps even leading to bloody events like the alleged murder of three by Jeremy Steinke and his underage accomplice in Medicine Hat.

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Yours very truly,

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Fw: STORY CBSA watching cross-border travel by air, automobile, and marine By Malcolm McColl

Yours very truly

Malcolm E. Mack McColl 

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From: Eldon and Sandra Sorensen <escap@shaw.ca>

To: "admin@crimewatchcanada.com" <admin@crimewatchcanada.com>

Cc: "mccoll_writing_service_is@yahoo.ca" <mccoll_writing_service_is@yahoo.ca>

Sent: Wednesday, May 16, 2007 at 02:08:27 p.m. PDT

Subject: STORY CBSA watching cross-border travel by air, automobile, and marine By Malcolm McColl

(With my luck, you are married to the Canadian head of the Guardian Angels.)

 

CBSA watching cross-border travel by air, automobile, and marine By Malcolm McColl

 

Faith St. John is communications  manager  for the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) on the west coast. Faith said training underway imminently for Canadian border guards to be deployed in the fall (with the Beretta Storm 9mm handgun) to fulfill the announcement of the federal government this winter. In Budget 2006, the Government of Canada provided $101 million over two years to begin the process of arming CBSA officers and eliminating work-alone sites.

 

The total funding earmarked for the Arming of CBSA officers and doubling up officers at work alone sites is $1 billion over 10 years. Ongoing annual funding totals $126.3 million. This initiative will establish an armed presence at Canadian land and marine Ports of Entry by arming and training 4,400 existing officers, including those performing enforcement functions in-land; Hire 400 new officers, who will be trained and armed, to address all work-alone situations; (when fully implemented, the total of armed officers [existing + new] will be of 4,800).

The CBSA is on track with its plans to begin arming the officers. "We are currently working with the RCMP to develop a comprehensive arming training program tailored to the duties, responsibilities and work environment of CBSA officers." Many policies will have to be developed and revised. The policies currently under discussion include, but are not limited to: the use of force and the use of sidearms; the wearing of protective and defensive equipment; the safe transportation and storage of sidearms and other defensive tools; and the reporting and investigation of use of force incidents.

"Throughout the implementation process, we are consulting with key stakeholders, including union officials," said Faith. The arming of border services officers and the elimination of work-alone sites will provide greater protection to CBSA officers at the border, and to those engaged in specialized enforcement activities within Canada. Security at the border will be increased since CBSA officers will be trained and equipped to intervene and deal with situations where they are not currently in a position to respond.

"The introduction of sidearms will provide an additional tool for officers to protect themselves, their colleagues and the travelling public. The CBSA is committed to ensuring that this initiative is implemented properly, safely, and without undue delay," said Derek Mellon, CBSA media liaison in Ottawa. 

Armed officers will be able to respond to a broader range of situations before involving police response The first group of armed officers will be in the field by August 2007. By March 2008, between 250 and 300 officers will be fully trained and carrying arms. "We are currently reviewing and examining opportunities to compress the initial estimated timeframe of the initiative," said Faith.

In addition to sidearms, Faith also discussed dealing with the longest unprotected border in the world, and was forthcoming about the improved design of the NEXUS  program. The CBSA worked with US Customs and Border Protection (US CBP) to design a program to expedite border clearance processes for low risk, pre-approved travellers into Canada and the United States.  A NEXUS card is an approved alternative to the US passport requirements.

 

She said the NEXUS program uses advanced technology to verify a person's identify - NEXUS Air uses iris biometrics and NEXUS Highway uses digital fingerprints to verify that the person presenting themselves for entry is the same one who has been pre-approved to enter Canada and the United States. The usual procedures still apply around declarations and duty, "except you are approved to take a faster route through customs," a Nexus route.

 

The three seperate programs:  NEXUS Air, NEXUS Highway, and NEXUS Marine have recently been amalgmated into one program - NEXUS. The Nexus system applies now on the highways, the marine entries (done via  telephone approval), and the original Nexus air service, which began in Vancouver. The cost is $80 CDN or $50 US for five years  and is open to Canadian and US citizens and permanent residents.

 

Air mode was orignally in Vancouver  and is now available at Toronto's Pearson Airport.  It will be coming soon to: Montréal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport, Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International Airport, Edmonton International Airport, Calgary International Airport, Winnipeg International Airport, and Halifax International Airport.
 
Nexus is offered at airports where they have US pre-clearance, clearing US customs in Canada before departing to the USA. Nexus has come to be considered the best alternative to passports and everybody is agreed it will work, "It was a joint initiative so of course we consulted closely."  For more information on NEXUS, or to become a member, visit www.nexus.gc.ca

Fw: Story : Suicide not a crime but it feels like it should be By Malcolm McColl

Yours very truly

Malcolm E. Mack McColl 

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From: Malcolm McColl <mccoll_writing_service_is@yahoo.ca>

To: "admin@crimewatchcanada.com" <admin@crimewatchcanada.com>

Sent: Thursday, August 9, 2012 at 12:20:00 p.m. PDT

Subject: Story : Suicide not a crime but it feels like it should be By Malcolm McColl

Suicide not a crime but it feels like it should be  By Malcolm McColl

  

   I am at my nephews funeral, but in all this world there is no real trace of him left. A candle burns amongst a circle of vibrant flowers, but he will not find any warmth from it and the flowers will wither in days.Funerals are for the living to say goodbye to the dead, but as I scan the room I see only the dying, heads bowed as tears fall.You cannot underestimate how many smiles my nephew stole. Like the surviving victims of a crime they will recover and return to some sense of normality , but they will never forget. They will be haunted by words and memories,followed endlessly by unanswered questions, anger and self blame.The family unit will crumble at the edges as each of them struggles to maintain their own sanity,each to traumatized to provide real comfort to one another. Throughout the funeral service great emphasis will be placed on making family and friends understand that he is in a better place that finally my nephew is at peace.For everybody else the true nightmare begins.My neice recently wrote regarding her brothers death "I hate how quickly I go from good to feeling hollow" As Canadian born anthropologist Lionel Tiger once said, the aftermath of suicide is "a legacy of pain."

   For those who think of committing suicide "a life without them in it" the reality is so often over romanticized.The over-romanticizm of suicide is something many writers and the media have been guilty of for years.In a much quoted poem "Lady Lazarus" Sylvia Plath,American poet and novelist, flirted with suicidal ideation by writing "Dying,Is an art,like everything else.I do it exceptionally well." Plath herself committed suicide after several attempts.Plath left behind two young children and a devestated ex partner.In 2009 her son also committed suicide after suffering years of depression,perhaps onset by his mothers untimely and distressing demise? Life is an art,and if you accept the colours in your paintset are both bright and dark,living is something that can be done exceptionally well!  

  There is a lot someone considering suicide overlook.There are those who have attempted suicide who have survived permanently scarred or worse brain damaged.Just as drugs and alcohol are so often glamorised as the solution to lifes problems,so to is suicide displayed as a quick and painless solution.In May 2012 Zachary Gray 17, from Florida sought a quick and painless solution to the cruel bullying he recieved at school by attempting suicide via hanging.Grays mother initiated CPR and was able to revive him, however having slowly choked and his brain having been deprived of oxygen Gray is now brain damaged.Gray is unable to walk or talk and needs 24hour round the clock care.This can also a side effect of suicide attempts involving drug overdoses,often as a result of the patients airways becoming blocked with vomit.Even a gunshot to the head isnt a simple solution ,people can live for hours with a hole in their head,often in pure unrelentless agony.Additionally so often they blow out an eye or their jaw leaving them with permanent and unsightly deformities requiring years of intensive and painful surgeries.Until 1974 suicide was a criminal Offence in Canada,when the criminal code was ammended it meant that the survivors of a failed attempt at suicide could no longer be prosecuted.But as a lot of the survivors are brain damaged or permanently scarred the fact they have not committed a legal offense will be of little comfort.

    In 1994 The Task Force on Suicide in Canada found that Aboriginal communities have higher suicide rates than others in the Canadian population.Suicide accounts for up to a third of injury deaths in First nations people.Vancouver Island First Nation leaders have now declared a state of emergency after a long spate of suicide and suicide attempts amongst First Nation people.The director of aboriginal health for Vancouver Island Health Authority Ian Knipe stated "Often its related to issues arising from residential schools from apprehension, from the impact of colonization".Between 2004 and 2005 the Ahousaht First Nation located on the West coast of Vancouver Island lost 2 members of their community to suicide and 65 others attempted suicide,the numbers continue to rise.On April 25th of this year  Ian Knipe met with the Cowichan Tribes ,other First Nations and the RCMP to attempt to begin resolving the issue.He hopes that the health authority will be able to offer suicide prevention training and education training."The Cowichan are being proactive about this trying to come up with a plan and work with other partners, such as VIHA and the RCMP in terms of how to address this, so we're happy to be a part of planning and discussions" said Ian Knipe.In May a report on suicide prevention was released by The National Aboriginal Health Organization , it emphasises that violence and oppression and the loss of culture amongst First Nations are still factors equating to the high level of suicide attempts.There needs to be more celebration of diversity , less discrimination and access to more services. Individuals need somewhere safe they can talk without fear or shame,where they are understood and taught resilience and coping skills. Non First Nation people also need to be made aware of the problems facing First Nation people,embrace our differences and work together to improve the situation for everybody. On September 10th 2012 it will be National Suicide Awareness day ,please spare a thought for all those unable to see their way out of the darkness.

    So what of my nephew ? For all the world I dont think it was ever his intention to kill himself. It was a brief over romanticised thought in dispair taken to far and now he is not here to see his family, not here to watch his own nephew grow up. He did not see his girlfriend attend his funeral,read her eulogy  through shaking tremors in her voice as she declared her undying love. He did not see his sisters faltering steps as she so gracefully approached the stage to tell us  he was the best brother in the world. He did not see his mother in the days she sat at his bedside ,as his life slipped away ,praying he would wake that somehow this had all been a horrible dream her heart eternally broken by his actions.He did not see me get married a small sign that life changes all around you,but to see it change you need to be there. If your considering suicide think about who you will leave behind,realise that there is always a way out of darkness without destroying everything.Seek help,speak to somebody about your concerns be open about your feelings , there is always someone who cares.

Fw: NEW STORY Chillingly evil domestic violence crime occurrence in the UK By Malcolm McColl

Sent: Wednesday, May 23, 2012 at 09:57:23 p.m. PDT

Subject: NEW STORY Chillingly evil domestic violence crime occurrence in the UK By Malcolm McColl

 Chillingly evil domestic violence crime occurrence in the UK By Malcolm McColl

Imagine never setting your eyes on your children again, never seeing the sun set and rise , smelling the sea air as it crashes against the rocks but not seeing it. For Tina Nash, 32, from a small town in Hayle, Cornwall, UK, this is a stark reality and it is now only in dreams she regains her vision, because on the 21st April 2011 she lost her sight.

"I feel like I've been buried alive." said Tina Nash when she spoke for the first time of her ordeal. "I actually look forward to going to sleep, because in my dreams, I have sight. It's when I wake up that the truth hits home."

Last year her boyfriend Shane Jenkins, 33 ,subjected her to a 12-hour "premeditated, sustained and vicious attack." as described by a Detective Inspector. For Tina life would never be the same because on the horrific night in question Jenkins gouged out her eyes. 

"I wonder if he brags that he's the last person I saw," said Tina, during a BBC interview. On Tina's birthday, Jenkins who now resides in a psychiatric unit spoke to the Daily Mirror stating, "I didn't start the whole thing that night. She's the one that attacked me. I'm not as evil as everyone has made out, I'm actually really chilled."

Why did Jenkins choose her Birthday to give his own account of events ? It appears even now he is intentionally attempting to control her life.

The night before the attack the couple had watched the horror film Hostel in which a lady has her eyes gouged out. On the night in question  the couple had argued after Jenkins had attempted to hand some sleeping pills to a neighbour and Tina had left and gone to bed at her own home in Hayle, Cornwall, only later to be beaten unconscious in her sleep.

"When I came round he was trying to strangle me and knocked me unconscious. I come round again and he was strangling me again and he knocked me unconscious again but when I came around again I realized what was going on and thought oh my god, he's trying to kill me."

Tina then in desperation apologized and said she loved Jenkins, it was only then she was to realize the severity of her injuries when Jenkins chillingly described what he had done to her. "Your eyes are hanging out your head, you will never see your kids again, I'm going to get 20 years for this"

Tina then felt her face only to realize one of her eyes was now out of the socket and hanging from her face and another punched deep into the socket. It was in that moment Tina Nash discovered she was blind. Other injuries included a fractured jaw and a broken nose. Yet despite her desperate pleas to be saved and for Jenkins to call an ambulance he did not release Tina for 12 hours. Doctors and surgeons battled for four weeks but couldn't save Tina's eyes. One eye was pushed so far back it had burst and she now wears a prosthetic eye in her left socket.

Six foot four inch Jenkins who has the word "Outlaw" tattooed on his arm, owned a book about Raoul Moat a deranged murderer from Newcastle upon Tyne who shot three people with a sawed off shotgun before killing himself in July 2010. During Moat`s attack he had shot a police officer David Rathband who survived but was permanently blinded. Jenkins reportedly once told Tina, "If I am going down, I am going down for something worthwhile."

This was not the first time Jenkins had been violent, three months before the attack he was reportedly charged with breaching bail after being charged with a domestic assault causing actual bodily harm. Pubs in Penzance, Cornwall (the Southwest of England), had repeatedly barred him for violent behaviour. "He once dragged someone outside, up the road, put a bench on his head and started jumping on it," one barman said, "He ended up with a fractured skull and brain damage and I think he did some prison time for that but played the diminished responsibility card and was out in about 10 months. This was several years ago in his mid-twenties." Devon and Cornwall police refused to confirm this.

Eight months into his relationship with Tina he had physically attacked her after she had found him with her friend dressed only in her underwear. As an explanation to the event he punched her three times. She then had fled to the bedroom and hid under the duvet but he attacked her again pressing his thumbs into her eyes but that time she had managed to escape. From then on in their relationship Jenkins had subjected Tina to repeated violent attacks, strangling and beating her, she had stayed with him out of fear.

Jenkins has been given an indeterminate sentence with a minimum of six years, which he is serving in a mental hospital. He admits he "went nuts" and "lost the plot" but continues to blame Tina for the assault.

Tina has life changing injuries,she will never see her children again or the Cornish seaside but now lives independently with her two sons 4 and 14 and their new pet dog. She is striving to help other women who are victims of domestic violence by highlighting her own suffering at the hands of Jenkins, urging them to speak up. "Shane was not mentally ill when he attacked me, he was not drunk or under the influence of drugs." 

As she stood for the cameras last month,she was a completely changed woman from the victim who tearfully described her ordeal, she is now a survivor who continues to outstand locals with her positive attitude.

"I urge anyone out there suffering domestic abuse to contact the police before it is too late. Don't be frightened or embarrassed," said Tina.

 

Yours very truly

Malcolm E. Mack McColl 

Fw: STORY Police academy training works hands on in Winnipeg By Malcolm McColl

Sent: Tuesday, August 2, 2011 at 02:01:56 p.m. PDT

Subject: STORY Police academy training works hands on in Winnipeg By Malcolm McColl

Police academy training works hands on in Winnipeg   By Malcolm McColl  - - PHOTO COMING THIS AFTERNOON

 

NorthWest Law Enforcement Academy, in Winnipeg, Manitoba, was started by Herb Stephen, former Chief of Police in the City of Winnipeg, explains Stan Payne, Managing Director and Registrar, "Former Police Chief Stephen found candidates for recruitment were not well prepared to make application for duty, and no opportunities existed for them to seek out an education for a career in law enforcement," and that's when Stephen formed NWLEA ten years ago.

"We have put through 500 students in the past ten years, graduating from a seven-month program that is approved by the Department of Advanced Education in the Province of Manitoba," operating under the Private Vocational Institution's Act, says Payne. "Courses are taught by former law enforcement officers in classes running five hours per day, three intakes per year, including April, September, and October."

All three intakes per year contain the same curriculum. April and September intakes are morning classes from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., and the October intake runs classes from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m.. Students come from across Canada from Newfoundland to Vancouver. The majority are from Manitoba.

Stephen's academy went to police agencies with inquires about putting together a curriculum based on the growing demand for trained candidate-recruits. "This seven-month post-secondary program carries no guarantees of hiring for law enforcement duty, however, recruitment and hiring occurs in municipal police services, RCMP, Corrections Canada, and Border Services, and Sheriffs offices across the country."

The academy works a lot in First Nation and Aboriginal recruitment, "We usually average two Aboriginal students per class, at least six graduating per year. Students across the board come from both genders, although 80 percent are male and 20 percent are female." Payne says the average age of recruits has been increasing in the past two years. "It was average age 19 up until two years ago. Now we are seeing 24 to 30 year old recruits."

The staff complement at NWLEA is made up of teacher/instructors who have retired from police agencies in Winnipeg, or England, or the RCMP, Corrections Canada, or Border Services. The student who is accepted into the program pays a fee of $7815.00, all-inclusive, with registration uniform, text books, and tuition.

Payne says, "We take individuals up to a week before each course. They must have grade 12, good physical health, no criminal record, and go through our screening process, including four essays that are written during the process, and an in-depth interview." They are screened with two references, a medical examination, and a criminal record check.

Payne notes, "First Nations are often Band-funded into the Law Protections and Safety Diploma training program. They may proceed to recruitment in Aboriginal policing units or may be trained for employment in outside agencies, security services, government agencies, and individual Bands. Other employment is found in Manitoba government agencies. Most of our Aboriginal candidates are from Ontario and Manitoba. We also customize courses that meet specific requirements." A current website takes applications electronically, and international students have come to the academy in the past, "but visas are a difficulty."

Eight shareholders own the academy that is run by a board of directors, "Things are looking well, we have had success thus far. Our September class is expected to be full. We are effective but our teachers make it clear that this is not a replacement for recruit training." Even so, the curriculum is detailed and hands on in role-playing. Self-defense and martial arts techniques are also taught in the program.

The academy teaches through three basic curriculum streams, including: 1. Law, Protection and Safety Diploma Program; 2. The Certificate Programs were created for those individuals seeking a career in Law Enforcement who: are not planning to complete a diploma program; do not plan to complete a diploma program immediately; want training is specific areas of law enforcement;  3. Aboriginal Police Training; 4. Professional training for government agencies, and private companies also available on-demand.

Payne says, "First Nations and Metis communities bear the brunt of Canada's rising crime rate and it is apparent to community leaders that provincial and federal governments cannot provide them with the protection and security they need and deserve." Payne says, "As Aboriginal communities move closer and closer to true self-government, providing protection and safety to community members will become a top priority. Without security of the people within a community, there can be no effective government."

This program is designed, he says, "to help meet the needs of the Aboriginal community. Northwest Law Enforcement Academy has developed Band Constable Training - Level One, Level Two, Level Three, plus Community Police Training, and Police Commission Training."

Fw: STORY Riot in the city of $1 million bungalows By Malcolm McColl

Yours very truly

Malcolm E. Mack McColl 

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From: Malcolm McColl <mccoll_writing_service_is@yahoo.ca>

To: "admin@crimewatchcanada.com" <admin@crimewatchcanada.com>

Sent: Thursday, June 16, 2011 at 11:15:20 p.m. PDT

Subject: STORY Riot in the city of $1 million bungalows By Malcolm McColl

Riot in the city of $1 million bungalows  By Malcolm McColl

      The near-end-game riot in the streets of Vancouver, B.C., happened in the city of $1 million bungalows. It happened in the most expensive most-liveable city in Canada. A lot of people around the country may think Vancouver Police Department dropped the ball on this one, and the riot went out-of-control on their ill-conceived watch.

        Well, let me say from experience, VPD does not look good with a smile on its face, with the high-fiving hockey fans, and mixing with the unhinged in society. It appears VPD should stick to working with a snarl on its face. They were tricked by the honour of hosting the Olympics, lulled into a false security about the nature of large crowds.

       During the Olympics with the billion dollar security budget, police walked shoulder-to shoulder with world visitors, and  it worked like a charm, except none of the world visitors had any axes to grind. This time, VPD went along with festivities in a similar fashion to those amazing scenes of last year. As it turned, they were overwhelmed by the way it was arranged. They will know better next time, since this was the second Vancouver hockey team to blow a Stanley Cup final, at home, thus the repetition in whole affair becomes rather undignified.

     Maybe this time it`s not entirely about hockey. Vancouver has a lot of pent-up rage, and organized anarchist cells know it. By every appearance this chaos was arranged in a carefully staged manner, and the fact is, according to Police Chief Jim Chu, VPD, hockey losses weren`t to blame at all. He may be right, since at least one `cell` was caught on a CTV camera standing inside Hudson Bay Dept Store, not looting, talking on cell phones, and ultimately inviting looters through the windows. The CTV camera captured what looked like masked plotters in a Hudson Bay Store that was ultimately ransacked, with these being seen in masks at mid-escalation.

      According to CBC TV News, the first car was set afire around 7:30 P.M. a couple blocks from the arena downtown where the game was still in progress, but over for the Canucks. By 8 o`clock police acted to declare the assembly unlawful, and began a belated effort to disperse the 100,000 people in the streets. This seems to be the general timing of the anarchist plot. The crowd incitement occurred well before the game was over, and centred on areas near the site of the game at Rogers Centre, around the large public TV screens.

       The incitement moved immediately north from the rink to the always-crowded Granville Street outdoor mall. It appears here, after dusk, that the CTV live camera footage showed a group of five or six masked men inside the Hudson`s Bay. If these were anarchists, they have begun to incite people into stores for the crush of lootings. This action spread. One London Drugs store alone reports over $1 million in damage and losses. Elsewhere at the same time, cars were flipped and set afire.

       By this time, anarchy had reign over the streets, and smashing of windows and looting of stores continued full scale. It becomes obvious that a large amount of organization went into creating this amount of chaos. The mainstream media and bloggers, twitter pics, and Youtube videos immediately flooded into the public eye, which was showing clearly that police were engaged in containment and dispersal was laborious, and combative. Over a dozen police officers were treated for injuries. .

       Vancouver citizens are nothing if not unpredictable, but, usually in the most delightful ways, but this time, add to the mix an organized element of chaos, and the underlying social unrest went beyond palpable. Something needs to be said about the VPD. They are an awesome police force. They deal with a myriad of social problems including a restive blend of ethnicities, and a constant background noise about all the drugs in the spectrum.

        VPD deals with the worst neighbourhood crisis in the world and does it with more humanity than the situation appears to invite. The Downtown Eastside is a crisis-zone that VPD has managed very well. They work hard, they put up with endless mayhem, and they are tough, real tough, but fair. The whole situation is under surveillance, and they know only too well, sometimes you have to stand back, watch, and hope for the best.

       VPD has learned from mistakes in the past, Ron Paul, Willy Pickton, gang violence, endless drug mayhem, and the city can be proud of that police force for keeping the VAST MAJORITY safe and sound. Chief of Police Jim Chu said it best, calling the rioters thugs. He told media, "There was a group of people, that were criminals and anarchists that were bent on causing this destruction. They came prepared. They had incendiary devices, They had weapons. They had a plan. They had objectives."

       Over 100 arrests already ensued. More arrests and lots of jail sentences will be forthcoming, and convictions will be a slam dunk because so much of this was captured on film. Retribution will be harsh as it should be. I do think VPD will come in for sharp criticism. I don`t think they shoulder all the blame, even if their laissez faire tactics were flawed. It was only the grace of God that spared hundreds upon hundreds of serious injuries. Some of the cars could have BLOWN SKY HIGH.

       In the aftermath Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson made the rounds of public appearances to thank Vancouver citizens for an extraordinary clean-up campaign that took place right from the crack of dawn. People came down with brooms, bags, cans and elbow grease to remove the vestiges of the night`s mob-savagery. Is this the last time you watch hockey on TV? Do you love the game, the hype, the talent, the energy? You may wonder if Vancouver fans understand the game enough to really enjoy it for what it`s worth. Then remember, Canadian cities and hockey riots have a long, glass-shattering history. Nobody died in this one, so that`s one thing to be thankful for.

Fw: STORY Women of diverse ages and backgrounds meet death and danger in Vancouver area parks By Malcolm McColl

Sent: Wednesday, September 29, 2010 at 12:03:33 a.m. PDT

Subject: STORY Women of diverse ages and backgrounds meet death and danger in Vancouver area parks By Malcolm McColl

Hi Jennifer
 Here is a story about a distressing situation for women in Vancouver.

Yours very truly

Mack Edward McColl 

Women of diverse ages and backgrounds meet death and danger in Vancouver area parks 

The past couple years have borne witness to a lack of safety for women in Vancouver-area parks, awareness of which was raised to frightful new heights in late September 2010 with the murder of 15-year-old Laura Szendrei. She was a Grade 10 student at Burnsview Secondary School in Delta, B.C., who died in hospital early Sunday morning, September 26, 2010, succumbing to injuries from a severe blow to the head.

The lethal attack took place only a few hours earlier, on Saturday, September 25 in a park next to the school she attended in North Delta. The attack which became fatal occurred in broad daylight at 1:30 p.m. while she was walking through the woods on the way to meet friends. Szendrei's friends were near the park and heard two loud cries for help and ran in that direction, arriving seconds after the attack to find her laying on the ground.

Delta Police Force told media they are looking for a 'person-of-interest', and said, "As a result of initial investigative efforts Delta Police are looking to speak to a person who may have information that may further our investigation." The person of interest was described as a young male seen leaving the park at about the same time as the attack, walking swiftly while preoccupied with a cell-phone. "Is he a suspect? No," said a police spokeperson, "We're not certain if there's information this individual may have that could further our investigation, but that's something we want to appeal to the public."

Wendy Ladner-Beaudry was an avid jogger, a mother of two young daughters, who entered Pacific Spirit Regional Park (adjacent the UBC campus) where she was attacked and murdered April 3, 2009, and the body was discovered by a hiker the same afternoon. Ladner-Beaudry was co-chair of the BC Games Society and was well-known as an avid promoter of sport and fitness for women in the province, and she was the sister of former Vancouver councillor and mayoral candidate Peter Ladner.

Her husband Michel Beaudry said in the days after the murder, "She was a loving wife, a dedicated mother, a consummate professional and a source of joy, love, and inspiration to everyone she met,." The murder of Ladner-Beaudry remains unsolved while she was posthumously inducted into the B.C. Sports Hall of Fame this year.

This unsolved murder was preceded by another earlier in the spring of 2009, when a 43-year-old woman named Tammi-Lynn Louise Cordone was found in West Vancouver's Lighthouse Park. Her body was found lying near a tent that was set-up close to Juniper Point. Cordone had apparently been living as an itinerant in Lighthouse Park, a 74-hectare park off Marine Drive where camping was not permitted. Initially investigators treated Cordone's death as 'suspicious', then the investigation turned to homicide.

A relative of Cordone from Thunder Bay, Ontario, where Cordone was from, said the family received few details about the attack, and told the Vancouver media, "All we know about what happened was she was a good kid." This investigation is being handled by both West Vancouver and Vancouver police departments because the West Vancouver Police Department does not have its own homicide unit. This murder also remains unsolved.

About a year ago, Oct. 19, 2009 9:20 AM Vancouver police issued a public warning after a local woman was violently sexually assaulted while walking through a west side park not far from the Pacific Spirit Regional Park. Reports said she was attacked in Hastings Mill Park, located next to the Royal Vancouver Yacht Club on Point Grey Road.

"He repeatedly punched her, multiple times in the head and face, then dragged her towards the centre of the park," said Cst. Jana McGuinness. The woman was able to fend off her attacker after a violent struggle during which the assailant began a sexual assault on the victim. The attacker left the scene, and police reported the victim sustained "significant" facial injuries and bruises.

"Obviously this is a violent and traumatic event," said Cst. McGuinness. "There will be an emotional toll -- no doubt for many weeks, and potentially even longer." Police said the suspect was described as 5-5 to 5-8 tall, medium-skinned with a medium build, and, "speaking in a distinctly British accent." He wore a hooded sweatshirt and jeans, had a handkerchief over his face. Police discussed a possible connection to the murder of Wendy Ladner-Beaudry in April the same year because the park on Point Grey Road lies in relatively proximity to Pacific Spirit Regional Park.

Cst. McGuinness said the public must exercise caution in these relatively benign circumstances, and she listed a few safety suggestions, including: walk with a partner, carry a cell phone, stick to well-lit routes, and let someone know where you are. "These are just minor steps, but they can be really helpful in dissuading a serious attack," she said.

Fw: STORY Run of River power projects continue to develop By Malcolm McColl

Yours very truly

Malcolm E. Mack McColl 

----- Forwarded Message -----

From: Malcolm McColl <mccoll_writing_service_is@yahoo.ca>

To: "market@ammsa.com" <market@ammsa.com>

Sent: Monday, April 6, 2009 at 10:06:26 a.m. PDT

Subject: STORY Run of River power projects continue to develop By Malcolm McColl

Hi Paul -  Are you up for buying this one?

Run of River power projects continue to develop  By Malcolm McColl

Plutonic Power is a Green Energy company in hot pursuit of new run of river hydro in a couple of energy hot spots on the central coast of B.C.. A lot of people have heard about Plutonic because they get the message out and because the opposition does too.

Elisha McCallum works in the communications area for Plutonic Power when the current dialogue about run of river in much of the media contains an element of opposition that Elisha is unabashed to address. "Many opponents discount the partnerships that we have developed with First Nations, and news about these important relationships is not much on the radar."

As far as hydro projects go, the main Plutonic projects in question are not big, expansive, or invasive electrical energy generation projects. One would power up 45,000 homes, another would do about the same, and another would do a quarter of a million homes.

The opposition comes from the vocal environmental lobby on the west coast that has formed over the past couple of decades in the midst of a rapidly changing economy. (See www.saveourrivers.ca).

Bute Inlet is an epic-sized inlet on the Inside Passage opposite Vancouver Island and north of Powell River that leads deep into the mainland. It is traditional waters of the Homalco community, members of the Salish Nation. This is 'border territory' well-defended by the Salish against all comers and these included Kwakwakw'wakw, Haida, Nuu Chah Nulth and probably people from the south, perhaps Makah.

Coast Salish people always had a different view of the way things run on the coast. It is difficult to imagine why they stayed free of Potlatch economics. Several nations in their midst nothing did nothing that was done outside the Potlatch. Perhaps the Coast Salish nation was self-sufficient and only conducted bilateral relations with other nations. They fiercely defended their own nation.

It is territory worth defending, for, much like the new Great Bear Rain Forest to the north coast region, Bute Inlet at one extreme of the Hulqumeneum speakers territory has a unique ecological position that is extremely fruitful in terms of 'nature's bounty.'

Then again, even in terms of our modern era, what part of the west coast isn't? Nor is that reason, because it is one among many, to surrender the region to all kinds of industrial folly. First we must realize that 100 years of industrial logging in this close proximity to rich markets can't have been kind to Homalco and other Salishan territories.

Run-of-river hydro is probably seen as a benefit to the Homalco people since they have (re)elected a business-oriented chief in Richard Harry. But Chief Harry might also be using run-of-river as part of a program to refurbish logging destructed forests in his traditional territory. Would it help if an industry that doesn't rape and pillage and was part-owned by a First Nation took hold in there? Would that preclude the others coming in?

Elisha McCallum, "From the very beginning we have developed the relationship with Homalco right from the Environmental Assessment stage. We have since been closely engaged with Klahoose, Sliammon, and Sechelt communities." These are the Coast Salish communities that have always had the biggest stake in the ongoing battlefield of Bute Inlet, especially the refranchised Homalco Band that took almost a century to return to form.

The Plutonic project in Bute Inlet is the larger one and it impacts tributaries of three main rivers: the Oxford, Southgate, and Homatchko, several tributaries of which will be 'electrified'. This triad of electrified river systems is the larger of the two projects, while two Toba Valley projects are also in Salish territory and Plutonic deals with all three communities, and in addition the Sechelt.

"Toba Valley all came together really well," said Elisha. This despite the fact that these (and perhaps all) First Nations are wary (from long and exhaustive experience). "We went to each community hat-in-hand and ate meals, went fishing," did stuff, said Elisha, "to show we are there for the long-term."

"It becomes community and it's how we do business. We highly value the input from these (long-serving) stewards of such a vast territory. In fact their feedback is essential to doing the project right."

The Plutonic team works with First Nation land stewards to design projects around habitat issues. No homes are disturbed for the fish, goats, or grizzly bears. They began construction in 2007 based on all the work they did starting in 2003. They hope to be done by 2011, "if everything goes as planned and smoothly."

      __________________________________________________________________

Instant Messaging, free SMS, sharing photos and more... Try the new Yahoo! Canada Messenger at http://ca.beta.messenger.yahoo.com/

Fw: STORY Vancouver is the organized crime capital of Canada By Malcolm McColl

Sent: Thursday, February 26, 2009 at 02:06:03 p.m. PST

Subject: STORY Vancouver is the organized crime capital of Canada By Malcolm McColl

Vancouver is the organized crime capital of Canada  By Malcolm McColl

In less than a month after the turn of the year there were 18 shootings in the streets of Vancouver, British Columbia. This onerous level of gang related violence is erupting into war in the streets and this is unacceptable to the Canadian public. As a result the Government of Canada is passing legislation to deal with rising gang violence on the west coast and elsewhere in Canada.

The explosion of violence in the past month in Vancouver (and elsewhere) made the government act because MPs are hearing the fear of citizens who find themselves living in war zones in Canada's streets.

An M.P. from the Lower Mainland of B.C. said, "When you have ordinary people being shot in the street it feels like a war zone. Maybe it was excessive language but governments have to come together to deal with the situation."

The M.P. said, "During the break-week (over Christmas and New Year) I happened to be sitting in my office (in Surrey, B.C.) talking to constituents while a shooting was taking place three blocks away." He added, "One hundred and ten young men have been lost to violence in recent years."

The M.P. said, "There was a lull a few years ago but in the past two or three years it has escalated." He said governments need to work together to address problems in law enforcement and corrections.

It has become painfully obvious that a turf-war is underway in Greater Vancouver. The escalation is so dramatic that the time has come for all M.P.'s to work together. One expert said that gang violence has been "fermenting" for the past 20 years in Canada.

"The Vancouver area is the organized crime capital of Canada, and it is fuelled by the drug trade." The expert said there are about 1,100 gangs in Canada. Gang members start in street gangs and graduate into organized crime. Drugs are the main source of gang-related activity.

The turf wars in B.C. are related to an $8 to $10 billion drug trade in Canada's westernmost province, which "has become a 'source country' for drugs like methamphetamine and 'B.C. bud,'" (marijuana, usually grown in grow-ops).

The expert noted the drug trade is playing out on the street and that Canada lacks a coherent, consistent approach to tackling gangs. What draws the youth into gangs? The expert said, "The common factor is social. If they are not engaged in sports, recreational activities, school or cultural activities the gang offers things that the country is failing to do."

He added, "Prevention and intervention is the key and until we deal with it we will see violence growing." With all this news in the background Hon. Rob Nicolson, Justice Minister of Canada, stepped forward in Ottawa on Feb 26, 2009, and proposed legislative solutions.

"This is the next step in fighting crime in Canada. We have made great strides in protecting Canadians," and now the government proposes tougher sentencing and bail conditions for violent crime.

Nicolson said, "We have increased penalties for street racing, and ended conditional sentences and house arrest. We have addressed the impact of organized crime activities. It is time to protect our law enforcement officials and their men on the front lines."

New legislation deals with gang murder, drive by shootings, and protection of police. The justice minister has called for first degree murder charges for gang-related murders, a degree that includes life sentences and 25 years without eligibility for parole.

A major part of the new broad-based offensive is to target drive by shootings. The minister said in his news conference, "Gang violence has erupted in Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg," and he recalled the Boxing Day shooting in Toronto. He cited recent bombings by gangs in Quebec.

Mandatory four year to 14 year sentences will apply to those convicted of drive by shootings, the minister said, and he has proposed higher minimum sentence for handguns and restricted firearms. The government is getting particularly tough on those who practice intimidation tactics on those who work within the justice system.

"You will receive 10 years for attacking police, and 14 years for aggravated assault on police." This is a new offense introduced into the criminal code and the minister called it a further step in the government's 'Tough on Crime' agenda.

"We are sending out the right message to people that this kind of activity will not be tolerated." The minister promised, "We are not done yet." The minister noted that, "what is happening with the economy and increased public expressions of concern have caused us to act. We are spending money to reach out to young people to deal with the drug issues."

A few editions ago Crime Watch Canada Magazine reported that Vancouver was undergoing a gang war and that Greater Vancouver police forces had decided to unify efforts to fight the rise in organized crime and gang violence. They had launched a task force composed of the Vancouver Police Department (VPD), municipal departments, and the RCMP.

Vancouver's Violence Suppression Team (VST) was an initiative to counter increasingly brazen 'targeted hits' in the streets, in restaurants, and at homes, in fact anywhere, and occurring at unpredictable hours of day or night.

The task force was struck because gang violence and 'targeted shootings' were out of control, and this was in the summer of 2007. VPD Chief of Police Jim Chu announced the special initiative to form the largest street-level gang violence task force in the history of B.C..

The task force was formed at a time when police were publicly dismissing suggestions of an out-and-out gang war, which dismissal was obviously premature since the escalation has continued unabated. At the time CWC Magazine reported estimates of over 100 gang slayings being counted in recent years.

Dangerous events like these street shootings are indicative of cultural conflict but also reflect differences in status regarding money and social alienation. Gangs come from all walks of society and the problems for Vancouver differ from problems in Toronto or Montreal, Winnipeg or Edmonton.

In Toronto youth are shot up in attacks by black gangs that operate from three major camps: Bloods and the Crips operate side by side with the so-called Jamaican posse. In the Vancouver area gangs include the Independent Soldiers - primarily Indo-Canadian members; UN Gang - mostly Indo-Canadians, Asians, and Persians. In Montreal there are Haitian and Jamaican gangs.

In Calgary and Edmonton are Asian gangs FOB (Fresh off the Boat, although many members born in Canada), FK (Fresh off the Boat Killers), Crazy Dragons, Crazy Dragon Killers. In Winnipeg there is an African street gang called the Mad Cowz and an Aboriginal gang called the Indian Posse.

According to expert criminology sources in the U.S., an ideal task force investigation puts the entire gang under observation, from the street level thugs and dealers up through the crew leaders and ultimately the gang's command structure. With this level of scrutiny involved the government's move to protect the observers makes a lot of sense.

      __________________________________________________________________

Yahoo! Canada Toolbar: Search from anywhere on the web, and bookmark your favourite sites. Download it now at

http://ca.toolbar.yahoo.com.

Fw: STORY Vancouver is the organized crime capital of Canada By Malcolm McColl

Yours very truly

Malcolm E. Mack McColl 

----- Forwarded Message -----

From: Malcolm McColl <mccoll_writing_service_is@yahoo.ca>

To: "admin@crimewatchcanada.com" <admin@crimewatchcanada.com>

Sent: Thursday, February 26, 2009 at 02:06:03 p.m. PST

Subject: STORY Vancouver is the organized crime capital of Canada By Malcolm McColl

Vancouver is the organized crime capital of Canada  By Malcolm McColl

In less than a month after the turn of the year there were 18 shootings in the streets of Vancouver, British Columbia. This onerous level of gang related violence is erupting into war in the streets and this is unacceptable to the Canadian public. As a result the Government of Canada is passing legislation to deal with rising gang violence on the west coast and elsewhere in Canada.

The explosion of violence in the past month in Vancouver (and elsewhere) made the government act because MPs are hearing the fear of citizens who find themselves living in war zones in Canada's streets.

An M.P. from the Lower Mainland of B.C. said, "When you have ordinary people being shot in the street it feels like a war zone. Maybe it was excessive language but governments have to come together to deal with the situation."

The M.P. said, "During the break-week (over Christmas and New Year) I happened to be sitting in my office (in Surrey, B.C.) talking to constituents while a shooting was taking place three blocks away." He added, "One hundred and ten young men have been lost to violence in recent years."

The M.P. said, "There was a lull a few years ago but in the past two or three years it has escalated." He said governments need to work together to address problems in law enforcement and corrections.

It has become painfully obvious that a turf-war is underway in Greater Vancouver. The escalation is so dramatic that the time has come for all M.P.'s to work together. One expert said that gang violence has been "fermenting" for the past 20 years in Canada.

"The Vancouver area is the organized crime capital of Canada, and it is fuelled by the drug trade." The expert said there are about 1,100 gangs in Canada. Gang members start in street gangs and graduate into organized crime. Drugs are the main source of gang-related activity.

The turf wars in B.C. are related to an $8 to $10 billion drug trade in Canada's westernmost province, which "has become a 'source country' for drugs like methamphetamine and 'B.C. bud,'" (marijuana, usually grown in grow-ops).

The expert noted the drug trade is playing out on the street and that Canada lacks a coherent, consistent approach to tackling gangs. What draws the youth into gangs? The expert said, "The common factor is social. If they are not engaged in sports, recreational activities, school or cultural activities the gang offers things that the country is failing to do."

He added, "Prevention and intervention is the key and until we deal with it we will see violence growing." With all this news in the background Hon. Rob Nicolson, Justice Minister of Canada, stepped forward in Ottawa on Feb 26, 2009, and proposed legislative solutions.

"This is the next step in fighting crime in Canada. We have made great strides in protecting Canadians," and now the government proposes tougher sentencing and bail conditions for violent crime.

Nicolson said, "We have increased penalties for street racing, and ended conditional sentences and house arrest. We have addressed the impact of organized crime activities. It is time to protect our law enforcement officials and their men on the front lines."

New legislation deals with gang murder, drive by shootings, and protection of police. The justice minister has called for first degree murder charges for gang-related murders, a degree that includes life sentences and 25 years without eligibility for parole.

A major part of the new broad-based offensive is to target drive by shootings. The minister said in his news conference, "Gang violence has erupted in Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg," and he recalled the Boxing Day shooting in Toronto. He cited recent bombings by gangs in Quebec.

Mandatory four year to 14 year sentences will apply to those convicted of drive by shootings, the minister said, and he has proposed higher minimum sentence for handguns and restricted firearms. The government is getting particularly tough on those who practice intimidation tactics on those who work within the justice system.

"You will receive 10 years for attacking police, and 14 years for aggravated assault on police." This is a new offense introduced into the criminal code and the minister called it a further step in the government's 'Tough on Crime' agenda.

"We are sending out the right message to people that this kind of activity will not be tolerated." The minister promised, "We are not done yet." The minister noted that, "what is happening with the economy and increased public expressions of concern have caused us to act. We are spending money to reach out to young people to deal with the drug issues."

A few editions ago Crime Watch Canada Magazine reported that Vancouver was undergoing a gang war and that Greater Vancouver police forces had decided to unify efforts to fight the rise in organized crime and gang violence. They had launched a task force composed of the Vancouver Police Department (VPD), municipal departments, and the RCMP.

Vancouver's Violence Suppression Team (VST) was an initiative to counter increasingly brazen 'targeted hits' in the streets, in restaurants, and at homes, in fact anywhere, and occurring at unpredictable hours of day or night.

The task force was struck because gang violence and 'targeted shootings' were out of control, and this was in the summer of 2007. VPD Chief of Police Jim Chu announced the special initiative to form the largest street-level gang violence task force in the history of B.C..

The task force was formed at a time when police were publicly dismissing suggestions of an out-and-out gang war, which dismissal was obviously premature since the escalation has continued unabated. At the time CWC Magazine reported estimates of over 100 gang slayings being counted in recent years.

Dangerous events like these street shootings are indicative of cultural conflict but also reflect differences in status regarding money and social alienation. Gangs come from all walks of society and the problems for Vancouver differ from problems in Toronto or Montreal, Winnipeg or Edmonton.

In Toronto youth are shot up in attacks by black gangs that operate from three major camps: Bloods and the Crips operate side by side with the so-called Jamaican posse. In the Vancouver area gangs include the Independent Soldiers - primarily Indo-Canadian members; UN Gang - mostly Indo-Canadians, Asians, and Persians. In Montreal there are Haitian and Jamaican gangs.

In Calgary and Edmonton are Asian gangs FOB (Fresh off the Boat, although many members born in Canada), FK (Fresh off the Boat Killers), Crazy Dragons, Crazy Dragon Killers. In Winnipeg there is an African street gang called the Mad Cowz and an Aboriginal gang called the Indian Posse.

According to expert criminology sources in the U.S., an ideal task force investigation puts the entire gang under observation, from the street level thugs and dealers up through the crew leaders and ultimately the gang's command structure. With this level of scrutiny involved the government's move to protect the observers makes a lot of sense.

      __________________________________________________________________

Yahoo! Canada Toolbar: Search from anywhere on the web, and bookmark your favourite sites. Download it now at

http://ca.toolbar.yahoo.com.