2007-2008 Annual Report

COMMANDING OFFICER'S MESSAGE

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As the Commanding Officer for "L" Division, Prince Edward Island, I am pleased to present this year's annual report "Year in Review". This report highlights our progress in meeting our provincial and national priorities, as well as provides us with an opportunity to take pride in our accomplishments and to reflect and seek ways to improve on our shortcomings.

On May 1, 2007 the RCMP celebrated its 75th anniversary as the provincial policing service on Prince Edward Island. From our early beginning in 1932 to present, we have built strong bridges with our policing partners, our provincial, municipal and First Nations leaders and with the citizens across the province.

Effective communication, integration and being intelligence led are essential elements to policing in today's environment. These elements were key to our successes in 2007/2008. By working with the provincial government we were able to put more police officers on the street and by forming partnerships such as Joint Forces Operations (JFO) with our Summerside and Charlottetown Police Services, we were able to organize resources to fight against drugs and serious crime. Members from both of these forces also assist with emergency situations on our Emergency Response Team and Tactical Troop. Through our Criminal Intelligence Services Prince Edward Island (CISPEI) we are intelligence led and strategically focused in our fight against organized and serious crime. Through our Annual Performance Plan process, our District Commanders discuss/identify policing priorities with their community leaders and implement initiative to address the priorities. Through our Community Consultive Groups and Mayor/Band Reports, we consistently communicate with our contractual partners. Through employee engagement with the Bridging the Gap process, we identify service, training and development opportunities for our members that help enhance our service to our communities.

"L" Division's ultimate goal is to ensure the safety and security of Islanders in their homes and communities. A survey conducted in April, 2008 of citizens served by the RCMP showed 93% were satisfied with the RCMP's contribution in this area.

I wish to take this opportunity to thank all of the employees for their dedication and work ethic in providing a high quality police service to the citizens of P.E.I. It is my expectation that we will continue in 2008/2009 to provide our citizens with exemplary and professional policing services that assures "Safe Homes and Safe Communities."

Chief Superintendent Randy Robar
"L" Division Commanding Officer

CONTACT US :

"L" Division Corporate Planning and Client Services
450 University Ave, PO Box 1360
Charlottetown, PE C1A 7N1
NCO i/c: SSM. Larry Kavanagh
Tel: 902 566 7205
E-mail: larry.kavanagh@rcmp-grc.gc.ca

OUR STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES

Our strategic priorities are carefully selected after rigorous scanning and analysis of the external environment to support the achievement of our strategic goal. The selection of priorities allows us to focus on enhancing public safety. In 2007/2008 the five national policing priorities were:

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 and the health and safety implications of organized crime are important to everyone. You may not be aware of it, but organized crime can affect your take-home pay (healthcare 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 and potential corruption in our political systems and government greatly diminish quality of life, disrupt our private life and compromise our personal security.

TERRORISM:

Threats to our national security are continually changing, presenting an "intelligence challenge" to governments and law enforcement around the world. Potential terrorists may not have yet engaged in criminal activity and are, therefore, difficult to recognize and impede. Terrorist organizations, whether foreign or domestically-based, are increasingly sophisticated with members linked through technology and loosely linked groups or cells, allowing them to operate in an environment where borders are virtual and detection is difficult. This global operations base for terrorist groups emphasizes the importance of an integrated policing approach where intelligence is shared among countries around the world.

YOUTH:

A key objective of the RCMP's National Youth Strategy is working with young people to prevent crimes involving them either as victims or offenders through social development. The RCMP believes that youth themselves have valuable solutions to offer and is committed to working with them to build Safe Homes, Safe Communities.

ABORIGINAL COMMUNITIES:

The RCMP has had a long and productive history of service to First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities across this country, and has worked to build relationships with the more than 600 Aboriginal communities served by the RCMP. In line with its priority to build stronger Aboriginal communities, the RCMP is committed to working collaboratively with the communities, partners and stakeholders and with Aboriginal organizations. The primary outcome of the RCMP Aboriginal strategic priority is to contribute to the health and safety of Aboriginal communities by developing community capacity to prevent crime through social development, the ongoing delivery of culturally appropriate policing services and ongoing consultation and collaboration with the communities to ensure their needs are being met.

ECONOMIC INTEGRITY:

The types of crimes driven by the motivation for profit are extensive and certainly not victimless. Illegal economic activity either robs or diverts funds away from hard-working Canadians. The confidence of Canadian consumers and investors in their economy can be shaken - their economic security undermined and their trust in institutions put at risk. The nature of crimes that affect the economy is rapidly changing and with globalization and technological progress, criminals are operating beyond jurisdictions using sophisticated and continuously-evolving methods to find victims. Law enforcement plays an important role in strengthening and preserving the security and economic interests of Canada. However, maintaining Canada's economic integrity is a complex issue that must be tackled in cooperation with other law enforcement agencies, governments at all levels, the private sector and our international partners. Together, we must work to ensure that Canadians have confidence in their financial, currency and market systems.

OUR ACCOUNTABILITY/FOCUS

Together, the Government of Prince Edward Island and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police "L" Division are committed to leading the country in the delivery of superior policing services reflective of community needs and values. The Government of Prince Edward Island supports the RCMP's national priorities and had identified youth, highway safety, family violence and organized crime as provincial policing priorities for 2007/2008. This "Year in Review" report highlights some of our successes and initiatives with respect to these priorities.

Youth - Developing crime prevention strategies through social development is an approach that requires strong and sustainable links to youth, schools and community partners. The RCMP in "L" Division have implemented plans that address youth issues through a balanced approach between education and enforcement. Through our education program, all schools throughout the province have an RCMP member assigned as School Liaison Officer and Cornwall, Stratford and Souris have School Resourcing Officers established. These two initiatives provided education and awareness programs to the youth. Our Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) program continues to expand into the school program. Our Youth Outreach Worker program in Kings and Prince Districts have shown positive results in diverting youth away from crime and making positive choices through programs such as; Circle of Caring Project, the 120 program, Youth at Risk Employment, Healthy Relationships Group and the Prevent Alcohol Related Trauma in Youth (PARTY). Our Street Level Drug teams and JFO units continue to target street level drug traffickers that prey on our youth. Our School Action for Emergency (SAFE) program, aimed at preparing schools for emergency situations (ie active shooter), has expanded to most schools in the province. To complement this program all front line RCMP officers have been trained in Immediate Action Rapid Deployment (IARD) to mitigate the risk to our youth should such an event happen at our schools. Each District, through their Annual Performance Plan, has implemented strategies to address youth concerns in their communities.

Highway Safety - Road Safety Vision 2010 is a national program aimed at reducing traffic-related deaths and serious injuries. The target for the RCMP is to reduce the number of deaths and serious injuries by 30% within RCMP jurisdiction by 2010. Like our youth strategy, it was important that we approached this priority from an enforcement and educational perspective. During this reporting period there was a 73% reduction in fatalities (from 26 in 2006 to 7 in 2007) and serious injury collisions were down by 14.5% (from 55 in 2006 to 49 in 2007). Impaired driving, speeding and the non-use of seatbelts continues to be a major contributing factor with both fatal and serious injury collisions. Through our education programs we had officers in the school delivering programs on seatbelts and alcohol/drugs (DARE, PARTY). Our members held information sessions on the changes in Provincial Statutes and the implementation of a very thorough graduated drivers licence program. A Crash Investigation Team has been established to enhance our investigational abilities at serious collisions and to better understand the cause and effect of such collisions. An Impaired Driving Committee has also been established with various partners to develop strategies to deal with first time and repeat offenders of alcohol related offences and other traffic-related areas of concern with the goal of reducing the number of serious injury and fatal crashes on P.E.I. highways. To enhance our enforcement, we have updated our roadside screen devices to better detect impaired drivers operating just above the legal limit and have modernized radar units in patrol cars. Members have also received training in Standard Field Sobriety Testing (SFST) which allows them to better detect drivers operating under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs. Our Mobile Traffic Unit (MTU) and the three districts have partnered and developed strategic enforcement opportunities (Selective Traffic Enforcement Program (STEP), All Hands on Deck) that have shown positive results in the detection of impaired drivers, speeding and non seatbelt compliance. Each District through their Annual Performance Plans have implemented strategies to address highway safety concerns in their communities.

Family Violence Response - Family violence has a devastating influence on families and communities, therefore, "L" Division continues to work with our partners and local community groups to keep victims safe, raise awareness and reduce the number of incidents. The RCMP has continued to build upon its relationship with the Family Violence Prevention Coordinator and local police forces in having a consistent approach to our response, investigation and follow-up care for victims of Family Violence. In addition, new members to the Division received Family Violence Protocol Training in November, 2007 which was partially responsible for significant improvements being identified through our internal audit process.

Aboriginal Communities - The RCMP has a long and productive history of services to First Nations Communities. In "L" Division we provide policing services to two Aboriginal Bands: Lennox Island and Abegweit. On Lennox Island we have a Community Tripartite Policing Agreement (CTA) that has proven to be very effective in enhancing police service delivery. During 2007 we have continued to work with various levels of government to establish a CTA for Abegweit. Establishing and sustaining partnerships through open communication is vital to our service delivery. Our Queens and Prince District Commanders continuously consult with First Nations leaders and citizens to identify policing needs and have incorporated these needs into their 2007/2008 Annual Performance Plans. Community Consultative Groups (CCG) have been established for both bands and the Commanders of Queens and Prince Districts provide Band Reports to the Chief and Council on a monthly/quarterly basis. To enhance our Cultural awareness, our members attend Powwows, Circle Keepers Workshops, Church Parades, and serve elders at the Christmas Dinner. In addition, Cst. LARKIN from Prince District attended two (2) youth seminars; the first dealt with self-respect and making good and lasting choices and the second involved the Aboriginal Youth Justice system. "L" Division will continue to build and maintain the strong relationships we have with our Aboriginal leaders and communities.

Organized Crime - Integration and the sharing of intelligence with our law enforcement partners and working closely with justice agencies is paramount in disrupting criminal organization. Organized crime affects the daily lives of all Canadians in a negative fashion and impacts both urban and rural areas. Organized crime affects our basic Canadian rights to peace, order and good government. In 2007/2008, four of six provincial organized crime groups as identified in the Provincial Threat Assessment were disrupted, one of which was also identified as a priority in the Atlantic Region Threat Assessments. This operation resulted in 34 drug charges, 7 weapon charges, 5 proceeds of crime charges, seizure of $38,000.00, 3 vehicles, 1 fishing boat and a total of 8 persons were arrested and charged. Our drug enforcement units have executed over 80 search warrants and have prevented the distribution of drugs valued at more than $2 million in P.E.I. and our Federal Enforcement Section has seized over 3000 cases of illegal tobacco in 2007/2008. Revenue loss to the province from illegal tobacco sales is estimated at $3.9 million dollars per year.

Economic Integrity - The nature of crimes that affect the economic integrity of Canada is rapidly changing. Criminals are operating globally using sophisticated and continuously-evolving methods to find victims. "L" Division has focused its efforts on the prevention, education, and investigation of counterfeiting, fraud, and identity theft to ensure that Canadians have confidence in their financial, currency, and market systems. Our Commercial Crime Section has issued periodic press releases and has delivered numerous presentations to local merchants, financial institutions, First Nations Communities, educators, seniors, students, and front-line members in an effort to educate and prevent Canadians from becoming victims of these crimes. Our Federal Enforcement Section has provided numerous education/awareness opportunities on Intellectual Property Crimes to our business and retail sectors and seized $146,650 worth of counterfeit goods. These efforts combined with the publicity generated by individual enforcement actions have increased the capacity of our target groups to fight these economic crimes.

Terrorism - Even though our Threat Assessments concluded that Prince Edward Island has no significant terrorist targets or terrorist groups, we must remain vigilant in our fight against terrorism. The core of this fight is a vibrant criminal intelligence system. The services of CISPEI link P.E.I. to criminal intelligence services across Canada via other provincial and national bureaus. Also, the Automated Criminal Intelligence Information System (ACIIS) is an investigative tool we use to support the concept of sharing information among agencies. We have not only provided training for this system to our members, but also members of other police agencies. Our members have also been trained in Operational Pipeline, an interdiction program used to enhance our border integrity efforts at the Confederation Bridge, Wood Islands Ferry terminal and the Charlottetown Airport. Our Traffic Services Unit and the Confederation Bridge Unit remain vigilant to terrorist activities through checkstops and STEP. In 2007/2008 "L" Division developed a Counter-Terrorism Plan and updated the Division Emergency Plans in the event of a major disruption or disaster in the province.

THE POLICING LANDSCAPE

"L" Division is responsible for policing the province of Prince Edward Island which is located on the east coast of Canada in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. The Northumberland Strait separates the Island from the provinces of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. The Island is linked to the mainland by the Confederation Bridge, the longest bridge over ice covered waters in the world. Although the Island's population stands at approximately 135,000 during most of the year, it undergoes a major transformation each summer. During this season more than one million tourists come to the Island. The number of petty theft crimes is consistently higher during these months, as are complaints relating to fraud and counterfeit offences. Drugs and other illicit commodities are transported to the Island for local consumption and are generally routed through one point of entry - the Confederation Bridge. This feature offers controlled access and a natural point of interception for police, one which is being utilized on a much more frequent basis.

Prince Edward Island has approximately 500 miles of coastline, containing hundreds of isolated coves, inlets and sheltered bays. Smugglers operating privately-owned boats look for isolated areas of coastline to unload shipments which are then transported over land to large, urban centres. The Confederation Bridge provides a reliable mode of transport to the mainland and a major urban centre like Montreal is only a 10-hour drive from the bridge.

In 2007 CISPEI prepared a Provincial Threat Assessment that identified organized crime groups operating in this province. These groups vary from as few as three to five members to as many as ten to fifteen members. The majority of those groups identified are involved in the illicit drug trade. This includes indoor and outdoor marihuana grow operations, as well as importing, trading and selling of marihuana, cocaine and other illegal drugs.

On a per capita basis, Prince Edward Island continues to have one of the smallest police forces in the country. In 2006, Statistics Canada reported P.E.I. as having 159 officers per 100,000 population compared to a national average of 192 officers per 100,000 population.

After years of steady increases, the rates of violent crime, property crime and criminal code offences all showed slight declines in the province in 2004. The trend toward a slight decline in these areas continued in 2007.

THE YEAR AHEAD

During the coming year, integration with all levels of law enforcement and meaningful communications with all Islanders will continue to remain a high priority. The Annual Performance Plans will continue to play a key role to ensure the identified priorities of communities are met.

The following areas have been identified as our key areas of risk or opportunity to focus on for 2007/2008:

Seniors - The growing proportion of the population over the age of 65 represents a concern for local law enforcement. Island residents 65 years of age or older represent 14% of the province's population and this number is expected to reach 22% by the year 2010. Seniors are commonly targeted for fraud and tend to feel more vulnerable to crime and violence, placing increased pressure on police to make their presence felt in communities.

Tobacco - Tobacco control legislation introduced in the province in 2005 prohibited the sale of cigarettes in vending machines, educational institutions, municipal and provincial buildings and entertainment venues such as theaters, arcades and amusement parks. Cigarettes can no longer be on display in stores which sell the product and pharmacies no longer sell tobacco products. Although the legislation is intended to curb tobacco use among the population, restricting access to tobacco is also creating an underground market for "bootleg" tobacco. Contraband tobacco is now available in most communities in the province and, in many instances, can be delivered directly to a residence. Tobacco seizures in 2006 increased significantly with the loss in federal and provincial tax dollars amounting to millions. In March, 2008 the new Provincial Tobacco Tax Act came into effect.

Prescription Drugs - Abuse of prescription drugs has grown appreciably in the province over the past five years. Access to supply is a key component of their growing popularity, as are their relatively cheaper price points. Most are obtained through prescription fraud, a trend which the provincial government is attempting to counter through the implementation of an integrated prescription monitoring database. The Provincial Drug Information System, a computerized pharmacy network that will connect pharmacists, physicians, and other authorized health care professionals with comprehensive electronic medication profiles for all patients, is scheduled to be deployed in Island pharmacies in 2007/2008. However, restricting supply will invariably drive prices up and force many abusers to look for cheaper alternatives.

Highway Safety - "L" Division will continue to contribute to safer roadways through education, awareness, prevention and enforcement initiatives. Non-use of seatbelts, impaired driving and speeding continue to be the main contributing factors to fatalities occurring on Prince Edward Island roadways. This division is committed to doing its part under the National Road Safety Vision 2010 strategy that aims to reduce death and serious injuries by 30% from 1996-2001 levels by the year 2010.

Drugs - Community consultations continue to identify youth drug use and a decrease in police visibility and traffic violations as major concerns. With a few exceptions, most criminal offences can be linked to drug abuse. It also impacts other areas such as traffic safety, domestic violence, suicide and an increase in violent crime.

Human Resource Issues - Increased training required in meeting professional, legal and health and safety standards is necessary, but leaves less time for front-line service. We must continue to work with our clients and partners to develop innovative and efficient models of service delivery to ensure maximum use of resources. As with most organizations we are experiencing an increase in retirements and at the same time growth in staff requirements. The demand for new police officers is not unique to the RCMP and competition is keen for new resources.

Criminal Intelligence Program - The core of the fight against organized crime is a vibrant criminal intelligence system. As reported, in 2006 the Criminal Intelligence Service P.E.I. bureau was established from existing federal RCMP resources. This service links P.E.I. to criminal intelligence services across Canada via other provincial and national bureaus. We must continue to work with the provincial and municipal governments to ensure funding exists to create a truly integrated bureau. Organized crime and criminals do not recognize borders; therefore, we must ensure our policing efforts are seamless.

Crime Data

The following table denotes the number of actual* occurrences in "L" Division over the last 5 years - 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007.

ACTUAL OFFENCES 1	Actual 2003	Actual 2004	Actual 2005	Actual 2006	Actual 2007
Offence related to death ie: murder, attempted murder	0	0	0	1	2
Sexual Assault and Other Sexual Offences	102	50	49	39	45
Wounding and Assault	562	501	445	446	389
Robbery	3	7	4	3	14
Break & Enter	786	452	477	367	347
Theft of Motor Vehicle	138	126	102	97	37
Theft Over $5,000	30	29	39	14	13
Theft Under $5,000	990	1051	874	786	749
Possession of Stolen Goods & Frauds	294	298	291	227	131
Offensive Weapons	83	49	37	48	41
Criminal Code Driving Offences	626	658	456	592	494
Other Criminal Code	3229	2502	2575	2337	2194
Total Criminal Code	6843	5723	5349	4957	4456
Narcotics & Food and Drug Act	220	222	131	141	163
Federal Statutes	104	137	165	164	157
Provincial Statutes excluding traffic	3960	3847	3332	3405	3573
Municipal By-Laws	33	33	62	58	103
Total Other	4317	4239	3690	3768	3996
TOTAL 2	11160	9962	9039	8725	8452

Notes: 1 *Actual offences are the number of offences that were investigated and found to have occurred These reflect the actual crime rate. The number of reported offences is always higher than actual offences as many are investigated and a determination made that they are unfounded. These reflect the workload of the police agency.

2 Figures are for RCMP jurisdiction only. Provincial statutes and municipal bylaws do not include traffic cases. This includes detachments and headquarters units.

Statistics compiled through Mayors Reports and Police Reporting and Occurrence System (PROS) for "L" Division . Statistics compiled by calendar year. PROS was introduced in Sept. of 2004 and some differences between it and our previous statistical tracking system will result in some anomalies in the 2004 reporting period.

Financial Report

Federal and International Operations	2,370,730
Protective Policing Services	79,701
Community, Contract and Aboriginal Policing	13,652,915
Criminal Intelligence	349,904
Technical Policing Operations	365,421
Corporate Infrastructure	1,047,175

RCMP SERVICES FOR YOUR COMMUNITY

Aboriginal and Diversity Policing
Auxiliary Constable Program
Air Services Branch
Alternate Dispute Resolution
Canadian Police Information Centre (CPIC)
Coastal/Airport Watch
Collision Analyst/Reconstruction
Commercial Crime Section
Community Policing
Crime Intervention (Hostage) Negotiator
Criminal Intelligence Branch
Customs and Excise
D.A.R.E.
Drug Enforcement
Highway Traffic Law Enforcement
Emergency Response Team (ERT)
Explosives Disposal Unit (EDU)
Fitness/Health and Lifestyle Advisor
Forensic Identification Services
Ground Search and Rescue
Health Services
Immigration and Passport
In-Service Training Courses
Information Technology (Informatics)
Integrated Proceeds of Crime (IPOC)
Internal Investigation Section
Major incident Commander
Major/Serious Crime Investigations
Media Relations/Communication Specialists
Member/Employee Assistance Program (MEAP)
National Security Intelligence Section (NSIS)
Recruiting
Operational Communication Centre
Operational & Financial Administration
Planning and Client Services
Police Dog Services
Polygraph (Truth Verification Section)
Security Engineering - Lock Specialist
Security Systems - VIP & Building Security
Special “I” - Electronic Surveillance
Special “O” - Covert Physical Surveillance
Staff Relations Representative
Tactical Troop
Technological Crime/Criminal Internet Misuse
Traffic Services
Underwater Recovery Team (URT)
Violent Crime Linkage Analysis System (VICLAS)