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Taking Action Against Organized Crime

BY Bill Rankin, Communications Officer, Communications and Citizen Engagement

Photo: Bill Rankin

Retired Montreal Police Homicide Detective Roger Agnessi instructs SIOs in the preservation of crime scene evidence in a penitentiary setting. Specialists from many law enforcement partners contribute to the training of CSC security intelligence officers.

CSC has long recognized that gangs and other criminal organizations pose a serious threat to the security as well as to the efficient management of our federal penitentiaries. In recent years, the number of gang members and their associates under CSC’s jurisdiction, both in prisons and in the community, has risen. This increase is due to the government’s introduction of anti-gang legislation coupled with integrated and aggressive police investigations and successful prosecutions.

According to the most recent statistics, the number of members or affiliates of organized criminal groups reached almost 1,700, or 8% of the total federal prison population. Of these, Aboriginal gangs constitute 32%, outlaw motorcycle gangs 31%, street gangs 15%, Mafia-style 12%, Asian-based gangs 4%, and other gangs (including terrorist organizations) 6%. Whatever forms these organizations may take, power through control and influence is their goal.

A Serious Challenge

CSC Security Intelligence takes this threat seriously. Its challenge is to prevent them from undermining correctional operations. Security intelligence officers (SIO) understand what can happen when gang activity is ignored: their influence, even over a short period, can spread like an infectious disease throughout a prison population, weakening security for both staff and other inmates.

CSC is dealing with the situation on numerous fronts, but collaboration between front-line staff and SIOs has proven to be CSC’s best defence against this threat. Commissioner’s Directive 568-3, Identification and Management of Criminal Organizations, provides a solid framework and a consistent approach for dealing with gang members and their associates. On a broader scale, the Service links with intelligence units across the country and internationally to analyze emerging trends.

Recruiting Expertise

In 2002, the Security Branch set up a national, centralized intelligence unit with a multidisciplinary approach to combating organized crime. It also developed, in collaboration with other law enforcement agencies, standard training for SIOs across the country. This includes information sessions to be developed for delivery by local SIOs to all front-line staff including correctional and parole officers.

On the International Level

Most recently, Luciano Bentenuto, National CSC Manager, Organized Crime/Criminal Gangs, represented CSC as a member of the Canadian delegation at an international meeting on gangs sponsored by the Organization of American States (OAS) in Chiapas — Mexico’s southernmost state. Law enforcement agencies from across the western hemisphere sat down to discuss strategies for dealing with gangs. CSC advocated a cooperative, multidisciplinary approach that was not only welcomed by the international delegates but actually adopted unanimously by all countries involved.

Luciano Bentenuto, National Manager Organized Crime/Criminal Gang CSC at the international law enforcement conference in Chiapas, Mexico.

Involving Staff

At the local level, SIOs help provide a safe and secure environment for staff and inmates alike. SIOs such as Doug Dennison, Edmonton Institution, believe in the benefits of sharing information with employees as long as sensitive intelligence and ongoing investigations are not jeopardized.

In quarterly meetings, Dennison briefs employees on key events and trends within the institution and “hot spots” are pinpointed. It’s a way of involving staff in the big picture and demonstrating how seemingly disconnected events are, in fact, related. Dennison underlines the importance of careful report writing by correctional officers and encourages them to record anything out of the ordinary they encounter while on duty. Through the quarterly meetings, front-line staff are exposed to the analytical component of the security intelligence process and become active participants in the fight against organized crime.

Technology Can Help

In recent years, CSC has put modern technology to work by using specialized software that processes vast amounts of seemingy unrelated data to produce concise, analytical reports that decision-makers can use to evaluate various risk factors associated with organized crime. In the hands of a trained SIO, the software program’s cross-referencing ability can bring the real picture of illicit activities into sharp focus and ensure that decision-makers get the facts quickly.♦