Common menu bar links
Dynamics of Organized Crime Groups
In 2006, the CISC criminal intelligence community identified nearly 800 organized crime groups operating in Canada. While many of these groups remain concentrated in and around major urban centres, a significant number operate from smaller communities across the country. Organized crime groups can be found virtually everywhere there is profit to be made from criminal ventures.
In the past, organized-crime had ethnic origins. Today, rather than focussing on ethnicity, law enforcement must view organized crime on a commodity or crime category basis. Chief Constable Jamie Graham, |
Just as Canada has become a more multicultural society, so too have many organized crime groups. Multicultural criminal organizations are increasingly evident, particularly among newly established and emerging groups, often as a reflection of the multi-ethnic demographics of their locale. Although cultural ties remain an influencing principle within the organized crime landscape, multi-ethnic groups can be based on the criminal capabilities of members rather than on their ethnic or cultural heritage.
Organized crime groups exploit legitimate businesses, professionals and other community members to assist them in their criminal ventures and launder their criminal profits. In some instances, providers of this assistance may be unaware of their exploitation, while others, lured by the profits, either remain silent about possible suspicions or knowingly participate.
Criminal groups target a wide range of professions with specialized skills in the 
legitimate economy, attempting to coerce or corrupt some individuals. For example, those within the commercial transport industry may be targeted to facilitate the movement of contraband. Other skills valued by criminal groups are those within the financial industry that facilitate money laundering or the concealment of proceeds of crime. While these individuals may be recruited from a wide range of professions, they represent only a small percentage of their peers.
Structure of Organized Crime Groups
There is no dominant structure for organized crime groups in Canada. Group structures can vary from hierarchical in nature, most notably exemplified by outlaw motorcycle gangs (OMG), to less-structured groups consisting of individual cells coalescing around dominant personalities.
As well, law enforcement is identifying crime groups that are based on temporary alliances of individual criminals who merge their particular skills to better achieve success in specific criminal enterprises. Once a specific criminal venture is completed, these individuals may continue to collaborate on further criminal activities, or the group may dissolve. Although the individuals may go their separate ways, they sometimes reform into new groups based upon the skill requirements of new criminal opportunities. The nature and success of such networks are largely determined by individual characteristics and skills among those who act as their component parts. Such individuals may not regard themselves as members of a criminal group, and may not be regarded as part of a criminal group by outsiders.
Capabilities of Organized Crime Groups
There are varying levels of criminal capabilities amongst organized crime groups across Canada. At present, those with higher levels of criminal capabilities are largely represented by a number of Asian criminal groups in the B.C. Lower Mainland and southern Ontario, some Italian crime groups in Ontario and Quebec, certain Hells Angels chapters in B.C., Ontario and Quebec, and several independent groups across the country.
With the appearance and accessibility of new technology, organized crime is now able, with the click of a mouse, to commit crimes which have a direct impact on the citizens and Government of Canada. RCMP Assistant Commissioner |
This relatively small number of criminal groups is distinguished by their large-scale, sophisticated operations involving the importation, manufacture or distribution of a wide variety of contraband, as well as through financial crimes such as fraud and money laundering. However, these kinds of criminal groups have demonstrated an ability to shield themselves from disruption by law enforcement and rival criminal groups. A small number of street gangs, in British Columbia and Alberta, also have relatively sophisticated criminal capabilities; however, these are limited to a regional involvement in illicit drug distribution.
While the majority of criminal groups across Canada operate at a lower level of criminal capability and participate at a more limited scope and magnitude within their criminal markets, they can still pose serious criminal threats.
The challenge for policing today is to keep pace. Partnership is indeed the defining feature of the new environment for policing in Ontario and for policing nationally and internationally. Commissioner Gwen Boniface, |
Most Eastern European and independent criminal groups and the majority of street gangs have lower levels of criminal capabilities. A number of Hells Angels chapters across Canada and other outlaw motorcycle gangs operate at a lower level of criminal capability that is often limited to distributing smaller amounts of contraband, such as illicit drugs, within a localized area.
Crime groups operating at a lower level are often more visible to the public, with some directly affecting the daily lives of individuals and communities, particularly the groups that use high levels of 
violence and intimidation. As a result, these groups potentially pose a more direct and immediate threat to the public safety of Canadians than higher-level groups whose threat may be more indirect and long term. Many street gangs across Canada have been identified as having this lower-level criminal capability but with a corresponding high propensity for violence that can be random, spontaneous and conducted within a public setting.
