Organized crime top priority, new ALERT boss says
Juris Graney sat down with ALERT’s new CEO Insp. Chad Coles to see what’s in store for the integrated police agency. Coles has been an RCMP member for 21 years and has been with ALERT for 2 1/2 years.
Q Now that you are the boss at ALERT, what will your focus be?
A The No. 1 priority is still going to be the public safety here for Albertans by combating organized crime. Q How important is ALERT in combating organized crime in the province?
A We all recognize that organized crime is present across the province in all the communities and we play a very important role here as we complement different areas of policing in what they are doing. As the provincial organized crime team, we are spending a lot of time and resources in combating organized crime in the various parts of the province. The benefit of ALERT is that we are spread out right across the province from Calgary to Edmonton to Fort McMurray, Grande Prairie, Red Deer, Medicine Hat and Lethbridge which means we have a far-reaching impact.
Q How big of a problem is organized crime in Alberta?
A Whether it’s outlaw motorbike gangs or different crime groups trafficking fentanyl, it’s present across the country and it’s definitely present here in the province. We are seeing a linkage of organized crime groups here with those in British Columbia that include the flow of drugs and contraband, so we are also leveraging our relationships with the integrated units in B.C. and Saskatchewan. Q How troubling is the increase in the number of firearms you are coming across in investigations?
A In the investigations we’ve conducted over the past several years, we’re seeing an increase in firearms being seized. It’s definitely alarming from a public safety standpoint and an officer safety standpoint. It’s becoming more frequent to come across firearms when we are executing search warrants in drug and organized crime operations and back in the day, those guns used to be shotguns or long guns, but now we are seeing a lot more assault rifles and handguns. We are very aware of that and cognizant of that when are doing search warrants. There seems to be more people willing to use them.
Q How will the legalization of marijuana change your investigations?
A We are focused on the emerging threats in the country, which at this point is fentanyl. It’s a huge priority for us because of the public safety impact it has. We work within the parameters so it’s up to the lawmakers to decide what’s legal in the country and we focus on the most harmful drugs that are impacting public safety. The numbers speak for themselves in terms of the harm that fentanyl has caused across the country. We focus our resources on the areas that will have the greatest impact.