New Brunswick Will Continue to Fight Against Organized Crime

Even though federal funds for programs to battle organized crime have dried up, officials from the New Brunswick government say that they intend to maintain the Safer Communities and Neighborhoods as well as their five intelligence units.

Earlier this week, Public Safety Minister Robert Trevors said that the government has allotted $2.28 million as a means for keeping the two programs intact and continuing to fight for the safety and security of the citizens of New Brunswick.

The Safer Communities and Neighborhoods program was developed so that investigators could evict anyone participating in illegal activities, like dealing drugs and prostitution. With the use of the program, evictions are not required to endure drawn-out criminal investigations and can simply be granted through civil litigation.

Bill Hanley, a lead investigator says that throughout the past three years he has dealt with over 700 complaints from across the province, with people reaching out as a last resort to selling their homes and finding a new neighborhood in which to live. He adds that even in the best neighborhoods, there always seems to be that one property that causes disorder for everyone that lives there.

In addition to thugs and social roaches, Wayne Lang, the commander of the New Brunswick RCMP, says that organized crime is becoming a enormous problem across New Brunswick.

“I can tell you that organized crime is all around us, I don't want to be a fear monger, but people need to be sensitive that there are organized crime groups all over New Brunswick,” he said.

Many local law enforcement officials say that the two programs have been greatly beneficial to their towns, and most are pleased that the government has chosen to continue to actively support this important work.