Monday, November 05, 2007
Chinese Mafia group? In Shaughnessy?
."Nothing to worry about, folks. Just move along, please. Move along. Thank you, just keep movin' along ..."
But I'm one citizen who isn't convinced that Organized Crime doesn't have a hold on British Columbia. - BC Mary
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TOP COP SAYS REGION IS SAFE FROM 'HIGH-END' CRIMINALS
Stuart Hunter
The Province
Published: Monday, November 05, 2007
A top Mountie says he can assure Lower Mainlanders that their region is safe from "high-end" criminals.
Assistant [RCMP] commissioner Peter German also says statistics show homicides and property crime are down -- and that he thinks the region doesn't need a regional police force to handle crime better.
"I would certainly like to reassure the public that in terms of violence, nothing has really changed," German told The Province on Friday, a day before a man believed to be associated with a Chinese Mafia group was shot dead outside his mansion in Vancouver's Shaughnessy area.
"Violence within the gang milieu tends to be very targeted, it tends not to be random. The reality is, most high-end violence we see in the Lower Mainland is targeted and that is being effectively dealt with."
German, who is responsible for the RCMP in the Lower Mainland, said the high-profile slayings of six people in a Surrey apartment on Oct. 19 show the need for specialized units like the Integrated Gang Task Force and the Integrated Homicide Investigative Team.
"The Surrey deaths are tragic -- and particularly when the two people were innocent," German said. "IHIT is investigating these crimes and they have front-loaded the investigation with literally hundreds of police officers. We have 48 homicide investigators [on the case]. {Snip} ...
German attributed the reduction in homicides and property crime to crime-reduction techniques that target chronic and prolific offenders. But he conceded there are occasional "spikes."
"Unfortunately, it is these spikes of violence -- which I tend to think are generally fuelled by gangs, drugs and guns -- that are of concern to me," German said. "Oftentimes, drugs are the root cause. You go after the guns to get at the gangsters."
He called the proliferation of guns on the streets -- which he attributed to the Lower Mainland's proximity to the U.S. -- troubling, but said the gang task force has "been very proactive in targeting organized trafficking in firearms."
shunter@png.canwest.com
http://www.canada.com/theprovince/news/story.html?id=5cf71a8f-39be-4293-80f5-b1845444e16f&k=57403
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Thank you, Peter German, for your reassurance. It's good that you speak to the public this way. It reminds me of John Ward's statement on 29 Dec. 2003 also much appreciated.
But please help me understand something here.
You gave this statement to Stuart Hunter of the Province newspaper on Friday Nov. 2. But none of B.C.'s biggest CanWest daily newspapers on Saturday or Sunday mentioned this. Up until today, the other two newspapers said that this Shaughnessy victim was "not known to police". Don't you wonder about this discrepancy?
Here's The Province online headline today:
GANG MEMBER GUNNED DOWN
High-ranking Big Circle Boy killed late Saturday
A man associated with the notorious Big Circle Boys has been gunned down in front of his mansion in Vancouver's Shaughnessy ...
So, Mr Gorman: how could such basic crime facts not be clear [read more, below]?
And now that Organized Crime is coming more into the open, could you tell us what a 'high-end' criminal is? Would that be "Mr Big" and/or his associates? If so, are you quite sure your statement is correct?
Again, thanks for speaking directly to the public concern. We surely need that.
- BC Mary.
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From Victoria Times Colonist:
GANGSTER SLAIN AT HIS MANSION IN VANCOUVER
Ian Austin,
CanWest News Service
Published: Monday, November 05, 2007
VANCOUVER -- A high-ranking member of the notorious Big Circle Boys has been gunned down in front of his mansion in Vancouver's upscale Shaughnessy.
Vancouver Police say Hong Chao (Raymond) Huang was shot numerous times in an apparent targeted murder Saturday night.
Huang's 10-year-old daughter called 911 to say her father had been shot. He was dead when police arrived. Numerous shell casing littered the ground.
Huang, 45, was a top member of the Asian organized gang, an RCMP source told The Province last night.
"We know the name. ... You would rank him as a Dai Lo (Big Brother) ... somebody of influence who could organize stuff and make things happen. ... He is quite high up there," said the source.
The Criminal Intelligence Service of Canada lists the Big Circle Boys as the main Asian organized crime group in B.C., dealing in credit-card fraud, loan sharking, drug smuggling and counterfeit goods and currency.
"He is known to keep a low profile, driving around in small cars," said the source.
He said he believes that Huang is on the radar of some Vancouver police and RCMP officers after being linked to "one or two" money seizures involving amounts between $70,000 and $100,000.
Meanwhile, Vancouver Police spokesman Tim Fanning said he doesn't believe Huang is known to Vancouver Police. He said investigators will start comparing notes with other jurisdictions today.
"Ultimately, we're looking for a motive. Part of our investigation will be to speak with other police agencies, both in Canada and abroad. We'll certainly check if this is tied to other shootings," said Fanning.
Huang was returning home, and police believe the killer or killers either lay in wait or had tailed him.
"It looks like he was coming home -- he had just parked his car," said Fanning.
"He was either followed, or they were waiting for him. This is a startling and horrific attack in this neighbourhood." {Snip} ...
http://www.canada.com/victoriatimescolonist/news/story.html?id=5fa87c65-bc84-46fd-bf1f-f50ca4babedf&k=65444
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