City police tout early efforts of integrated enforcement unit

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This article was published 13/06/2023 (878 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Winnipeg police have released preliminary figures on the efforts of its new integrated law enforcement unit.

In November, Premier Heather Stefanson announced $3.2 million for the Winnipeg Police Service and the Manitoba RCMP to create the unit dedicated to tracking down “violent criminals” wanted on warrants and considered high risk to reoffend.

The funding came as part of a flurry of tough-on-crime measures the Progressive Conservative government pledged in a short period late last year.

The unit was billed as increasing high-intensity supervision of offenders on probation or people accused of crimes who are out on bail.

On June 9, WPS Chief Danny Smyth and major crimes division Insp. Shawn Pike (who is overseeing formation of the unit) told the Winnipeg Police Board the unit began operations May 7.

“We know that a relatively small number of people are responsible for committing a disproportionate amount of the violent crime in our community,” Smyth told the board.

Pike said the unit had arrested 21 people by the end of May — 10 of whom were on bail, two on parole, two on probation, one on both bail and probation, while one had no court-imposed conditions.

“I’ve witnessed on a daily basis the commitment, sacrifice and quality of the work all our detectives put into their assignments, and I can tell you what I’m seeing in this new unit so far is no exception,” Pike told the board.

He said among those arrested was a Hells Angels biker gang associate with a violent criminal history who was wanted on an outstanding warrant for robbery, aggravated assault and five counts of fail to comply with recognizance.

Smyth described the unit’s work as pivotal, despite not yet being fully implemented. The unit had, as of June 9, an active list of 47 suspects it was keeping an eye on, officials said.

The inter-agency unit has worked to assist corrections, parole and immigration departments and the Canada Border Services Agency on cases, since its formation, Pike added.

In the months prior, city police were working with Mounties to establish the operation’s guidelines, as well as structure, location, resources and targets.

The unit has since taken up office space in the downtown WPS headquarters, with four detectives, a detective sergeant, sergeant and civilian crime analyst.

The RCMP are still working on selecting officers, who will come to work in the unit through the summer, Pike said.

He noted the RCMP structure is different than that of the WPS, requiring the police force to advertise the positions (four investigators, a sergeant and corporal) to Mounties across the country.

A previous unit aimed at high-risk offenders wanted on warrants — the Manitoba warrant task force — dissolved in 2017, as provincial funding stayed flat.

erik.pindera@winnipegfreepress.com