http://www.whitehorsestar.com/auth.php?r=35443
Sarah Elizabeth Brown
"Chief Supt. David Shewchuk steered the big picture — ensuring proper intelligence was gathered and used properly, building partnerships with other law enforcement and government agencies, as well as making sure the money was spent on the most effective targets.
Organized crime is pretty simple — it’s in the business to make money, as much money as possible.
Common money makers are false insurance claims to manufacturing fraudulent credit cards, right up to drugs, he said in a recent interview.
Because drugs are one of the most profitable forms of ill-gotten gains, it’s one of the most common for organized crime groups like the Hells Angels — which the Yukon RCMP say supply the territory’s cocaine from Outside — to be involved with.
In his experience, public interest and concern help cops get their job done, said Shewchuk.
“It’s when the community gets up in arms when we can get things done,” he said.
He points to the years-long police campaign against outlaw motorcycle gangs in Quebec, a fight that largely stemmed from public outrage following the death of an 11-year-old Montreal boy who was killed after a bomb exploded outside a biker hangout in 1995.
In Whitehorse, a downtown resident’s complaints to the riding’s MLA resulted in two high-profile public meetings on drugs in the area, particularly on the houses from which they’re sold, as well as a myriad of media attention and public discussion.
“Enforcement alone isn’t going to solve anything,” said Shewchuk, noting that while reducing the supply is important, paring the demand for drugs is also essential."
