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Major Studies of Drugs and Drug Policy | ||||
Canadian Senate Special Committee on Illegal Drugs | ||||
Volume 2 - Policies and Practices In Canada |
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Chapter 14
Police Practices
Views on police priorities regarding
enforcement of laws on illicit drugs are, at the very least, inconsistent, if
not completely contradictory. Some believe that too much police time, effort
and resources are spent in investigating illicit drug offences and, more
specifically, possession offences – even more specifically, cannabis possession
offences. Others–including the police themselves – claim that police priorities
are already focused on traffickers and producers, and that possession charges
are laid as a result of police presence to deal with other criminal activity.
Thus, they maintain that the vast majority of cannabis possession charges are
incidental to other police responsibilities. This chapter will review the key
organizations that are responsible for enforcing Canada’s current illicit drugs
legislation, the Controlled Drugs and
Substances Act (CDSA). It will include a discussion of the powers they have
been granted, and the investigative techniques used, in relation to illicit
drug investigations. Finally, key police-related statistics will be explored.
This information should help clarify some of the misconceptions related to
enforcement of laws on illicit drugs. Enforcement
agencies
Several organizations play a role in
enforcing Canada’s illicit drug legislation.
This section will review three: the RCMP, the Canada Customs and Revenue
Agency (CCRA), and provincial and municipal police forces. These key players co‑operate
with many other organizations when required, such as National
Defence, Fisheries and Oceans, and the Canadian Coast Guard. The
RCMP
The
RCMP’s role and mandate is to enforce laws, prevent crime, and maintain peace,
order and security. The RCMP is involved mainly in four components of Canada’s
Drug Strategy: enforcement and control; national co‑ordination;
international co-operation; and prevention programming. At the national level, the RCMP’s
drug enforcement responsibilities are primarily carried out by two groups: v The Drug Enforcement Branch: with approximately
900 employees, this branch is responsible for drug enforcement in Canada
through its head office in Ottawa and its divisional drug enforcement units
located throughout the country. The Branch also provides rapid communication to
members of the international drug enforcement community. v Integrated Proceeds of Crime Initiative: with
about 415 employees, this group is responsible for investigating persons for
proceeds of crime and seizing assets obtained through criminal activities. With
an estimated 90 per cent of seizures related to drugs, it is primarily a
drug-related initiative. The 13 units are staffed with a mix of: federal,
provincial, and municipal police; Justice counsel; customs officers; tax
investigators; asset managers; and forensic accountants. Cases tend to be
complex and lengthy. These
two services also receive assistance from other RCMP sections such as intelligence
and other specialized investigation services, including electronic and physical
surveillance. Their current priorities lie in the investigation and arrest of
upper echelon criminal organizations, involved in the drug trade, and in the
seizing of proceeds of crime. The RCMP has adopted an intelligence-driven
approach and conducts project-oriented investigations–for example, focusing on
organized crime. It gathers information that is fed through its intelligence
process to identify the main threats across the country. National priorities
are based on these threat assessments so that resources will be focussed on the
areas of greatest risk to Canadians. National priorities are reassessed,
modified and retargeted based on gathered intelligence. Within those national
priorities – for example, outlaw motorcycle gangs – particular groups will be
specifically targeted. This approach has resulted in cases that are complex and
lengthy and consume significant resources. Many of these investigations can take
many years to come to fruition. When it appeared before the
Committee in October 2001, the RCMP set out the following national priorities: Our
current strategic national priorities are outlaw motorcycle gangs, Asian-based
organized crime, Italian-based organized crime, and Eastern European-based
organized crime. These are national targets; they are not drug targets. These
are the RCMP national targets. These groups are involved in all commodity
areas. However, you will notice that all four groups are involved in illicit
drugs [1][1]
The RCMP works closely with other
national and international enforcement agencies in its efforts to reduce the
supply of drugs in Canada. In this function, it will regularly participate in
joint forces operations–which can be permanent working groups or temporary
operations aimed at a specific target–to co-operatively investigate criminal
activity and exchange intelligence. Liaison is maintained with provincial and municipal police departments, Interpol, the
United Nations, the Organization of American States, National Defence,
Fisheries and Oceans, Correctional Service of Canada, the Canadian Coast Guard,
as well as Customs authorities and drug enforcement agencies worldwide, such as
the Drug Enforcement Administration, FBI and U.S. Customs. The RCMP is also involved in drug
prevention and has established a Drug Awareness Service. With a budget of $4
million and 31 employees, this Service is responsible for going into the
community to educate students, parents, athletes, coaches, employees, employers
and community groups. The RCMP–including all personnel and not only the 31
full-time employees–makes over 10,000 presentations per year. Programs include
Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE)[2][2], the Aboriginal Shields Program, the
Two-way Street: Parents, Kids and Drugs, and the Drugs and Sport Program. In addition to its federal
responsibilities, the RCMP is involved in local enforcement as part of the
provincial and municipal policing responsibilities it performs under contract.
Sgt. MacEachern, Drug Enforcement Coordinator in New Brunswick, provided the
following explanation: The
RCMP has a contractual obligation to the Province of New Brunswick and, as
such, we provide policing services to all rural areas of the province, a large
number of the smaller service districts and small municipalities, and as well a
significant number of larger municipalities. In addition, we have federal law
enforcement units throughout the province, and for drug enforcement we have
offices and suboffices in Bathurst, Moncton, Saint-Leonard, Saint John and
Fredericton. Simply
put, our federal enforcement personnel dedicate themselves to larger scale
investigations involving organized criminal groups at the provincial,
interprovincial, national and international levels. Our provincial or contract
detachments are tasked with targeting local or street level drug traffickers,
but often, in the interests of addressing a significant local trafficking
situation, our federal units combine resources with our detachments to pursue a
specific goal. [3][3] While enforcement statistics are
discussed in greater detail in following sections of this chapter, it is
interesting to note that, according to the following chart from the Auditor
General’s 2001 Report,[4][4] the RCMP was responsible for
approximately 24% of all charges under the Controlled
Drugs and Substances Act in 1999, with only 4% of the charges relating to
its federal policing services. In this chart, the number of persons charged is
according to the most serious offence in a given incident and means persons
charged by police or persons against whom the police recommended charges be
laid. Charges under the Controlled Drugs and
Substances Act in 1999
The
Canada Customs and Revenue Agency [5][5]
The
CCRA–currently with over 8000 employees–has always played a key role in drug
enforcement in Canada and is responsible for intercepting drugs at the point of
entry. This is a significant task because many of the illicit drugs found in
Canada are smuggled across our borders – although this statement may be less
accurate with respect to cannabis, because of local production. The Customs Act grants customs officers certain powers. Section 98
authorizes an officer to search a person arriving in Canada if the officer suspects on reasonable grounds that the
person has secreted on or about his person: anything in respect of which the
Act has been or might be contravened; anything that would afford evidence with
respect to a contravention of this Act; or any goods the importation or exportation
of which is prohibited, controlled or regulated under the Act or any other Act
of Parliament. In addition, section 99 authorizes examination of goods
that have been imported into Canada. The CCRA deals with several types of
contraband, including firearms, alcohol, tobacco and drugs. Like that of the
RCMP, its work is intelligence-based, using information gathered through its
own extensive intelligence network and through other enforcement agencies (both
nationally and internationally). Thus, its contraband and intelligence program
works with national and international enforcement agencies to develop
information, indicators and trends to help identify suspicious shipments and/or
persons before they arrive at the border. The enforcement programs are based
on strategic planning, risk management, information gathering and
dissemination, partnerships, and effective training of personnel. The
Contraband and Intelligence Services Directorate–with illegal drugs as its
first priority–is responsible for the design, development, and implementation
of strategies with regard to anti-smuggling and intelligence programs. Due to
increasing volume, the CCRA implemented the Customs Action Plan–modernizing
customs processes and introducing programs based on risk management. The CCRA contraband and intelligence
program is made up of intelligence officers, analysts, and databases to support
front-line customs inspectors in identifying high-risk persons and goods at our
borders. These units are responsible for collecting and developing intelligence
and disseminating it to the line officers across the country. The CCRA maintains alliances with
other customs administrations, national and international law enforcement
agencies, and external stakeholders in connection with contraband,
intelligence, strategic export and counter-terrorism programs. It has also
built important partnerships with other law enforcement agencies in Canada,
such as the RCMP and provincial and municipal police, and around the world with
other customs administrations and law enforcement agencies such as the United
States Customs Service, the Drug Enforcement Agency, the World Customs
Organization, the Caribbean Customs Law Enforcement Council, and Interpol. The
CCRA regularly participates in joint-force operations of both short- and
long-term duration. For example, the Integrated Border Enforcement Teams
(IBETS) is a multi-agency law enforcement initiative between Canada and the
United States to address cross-border crimes. In addition, the CCRA and police
pool resources on a daily basis with local, state and provincial enforcement
agencies to combine expertise and intelligence. The CCRA is also part the
Integrated Proceeds of Crime initiative discussed above. Specific activities in relation to
drug enforcement include: v Use of highly sophisticated contraband
detection equipment to conduct non-intrusive examinations to assist in the
identification of narcotics – X-ray systems, including baggage, mobile truck
and rolling cargo systems; ion scans used to detect trace amounts of narcotics
on almost any surface; detector dog teams deployed across the country;
contraband detection kits that include a number of useful tools such as probes
and fibrescopes; and one submersible remote-operated vehicle used to detect
narcotics and other contraband attached to the hull of ships, below the water
level. v Emphasis on training its customs inspectors in
the area of contraband enforcement. v Use of several enforcement systems and
databases, both internal and external, which allow customs officers and
inspectors to identify the level of risk of travellers, carriers and/or
drivers. v Deployment of dedicated enforcement personnel
to enhance intelligence and interdiction in the regions. Regional Intelligence
Officers work with local police authorities, targeters, investigators and
customs officers to identify high-risk movement across the border. Flexible
Response Teams consist of highly trained customs officers who have been placed
across Canada to perform monitoring and compliance verification activities, as
well as sampling stints on travellers chosen on a random basis. Regional
Intelligence Analysts analyze large seizures to identify links to organized
crime; they also conduct threat assessments based on trends, and help identify
future risk. The CCRA estimates that it is
responsible for approximately 50% of all drug seizures in Canada. Provincial
and municipal police
Provincial and municipal police
forces handle the majority of drug cases in Canada. They are involved primarily
in enforcing illicit drug legislation at the street level. In addition, members
of these forces are often involved in joint operations with the RCMP and/or the
CCRA and other enforcement agencies. For example, the Committee was informed of
joint operations currently being run with the RCMP–and in certain cases other
enforcement agencies–and the Toronto Police Service, the Vancouver Police
Department and the Regina Police Service. [1][1] R..G. Lesser, Chief Superintendent,
RCMP, Proceedings of the Special Committee on Illegal Drugs, Senate of Canada,
First Session, Thirty-seventh Parliament, 2001, Issue no. 8, page 11. [2][2]
DARE is discussed in greater detail in Chapter 17. [3][3] Presentation submitted to the
Committee on 5 June 2002. [4][4] Report of the Auditor
General of Canada to the House of Commons, 2001, Chapter 11, “Illicit Drugs: The Federal
Government’s Role,” p. 11. [5][5] This section relies to a great
extent on the testimony of Mark Connolly, Director General, Contraband and
Intelligence Services Directorate, Customs Branch, Canada Customs and Revenue
Agency, Proceedings of the Special Committee on Illegal Drugs, Senate of
Canada, First Session, Thirty-seventh Parliament, 2001, Issue no. 8, pages
33-39. |