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Strategic Priority: Organized Crime

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The Impact of Organized Crime

The pervasive nature of organized crime groups in legitimate global and domestic commercial markets makes their impact extremely widespread. Ranging from small groups of three individuals to larger more extensive networks, organized criminal groups are present in Canada and abroad.

Organized crime affects the daily lives of Canadians. The health and safety implications of organized crime are important to all Canadians. You may not be aware of it, but organized crime can affect your take-home pay (health care and tax losses are recouped by paying for those who are drug addicted, and for people trafficked into Canada); your property tax bill (policing costs and costs of money laundering effects to the local economy); your electricity bill (hydro diversion for drug operations); your car and home insurance bills (organized auto theft rings and property break-ins); your monthly banking fee (as a profit-seeking business, banks need to recover bank fraud costs by billing regular customers); your credit card payment (credit card fraud and identity theft costs to banks are recovered in your interest rate payments), and much more.

In terms of economic-related crimes, it is estimated that organized crime costs Canadians $5 billion every year; that’s $600 a year for a family of four. This amount, however, does not include costs related to the many other crimes (i.e. drugs, counterfeit goods) that organized crime groups are involved in.

Organized crime affects our basic Canadian rights to peace, order and good government. Acts of violence and intimidation in our communities, potential corruption in our political systems and government greatly diminish quality of life, compromise our personal security and disrupt our private life.

Plans and Priorities:

 

The RCMP is committed to safe homes and safe communities for all Canadians. In the last eight years, the Government of Canada has undertaken a number of measures to minimize the impact of organized crime on Canadians. For example, through the development of new laws and allocated funding the Government has been able to strengthen the ability of law enforcement to pursue criminal organizations and to strengthen border security. With organized crime becoming more transnational, international laws and partnerships must keep pace with the progress made in the creation of domestic policies and laws.

Organized crime can be reduced by the coordinated efforts of municipal, provincial, federal and international police, and by all levels of government, by the community and by industry. In addition to laws specifically directed at organized crime, there are numerous provincial laws and municipal bylaws that can be enforced to prevent or curtail the illegal activity of organized crime groups (i.e. landlord and tenant acts, highway traffic acts, zoning bylaws), which can have great impact at the local community level. There are also domestic actions being taken at all levels of government in Canada, which may not be directly linked to organized crime, but still have local impacts (i.e. employment and training programs, social development and school initiatives, community programs).

Using an intelligence-led, integrated approach, the RCMP is focusing its activities on reducing the threat and impact of organized crime. In fulfilling its mandate, the RCMP is working closely with domestic and international partners in a sustained effort to dismantle today’s criminal groups.

To contribute to a successful outcome, the RCMP will:

  • reduce the total harm caused by organized crime by disrupting illicit markets
  • improve the quality of the intelligence/information process
  • ensure the quality and integrity of operational data in terms of timeliness and reliability
  • share intelligence with partners, and cooperate with enforcement units at the municipal, national and international levels
  • formulate an up-to-date picture of the threat of organized crime and prioritize investigations
  • provide scientific and technical support, and new technologies to enhance investigative abilities
  • increase the number of organized criminal groups investigated and brought to justice
  • improve the skills and abilities of investigators through training
  • enhance public awareness of the dangers and impacts of organized crime
  • reduce demand for illicit products

“The most critical element in law enforcement’s fight against organized crime is the contribution made by front-line police officers. These police officers, regardless of whether they are policing large municipalities or smaller rural communities, ports, rail systems, or airports, are frequently the first to come into contact with the effects of organized crime. By encouraging our front-line officers to maximize intelligence-gathering opportunities, and by providing them with the necessary tools to communicate the threat of organized crime to the public and private sector, we will significantly reduce organized crime’s capability to operate in Canada.”

- Assistant Commissioner Raf Souccar

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Other Strategic Priorities: Aboriginal Communities | Economic Integrity | Terrorism | Youth