Fears of Crime Wave Grow in Canada

Two articles call out fears of crime wave happening in Canada.

From Toronto -- Agencies brace for crime wave
Experts say 2009 may mimic recession of 1990, when job loss drove people to desperate measures, Dec 27, 2008 04:30 AM, Robyn Doolittle STAFF REPORTER

"No one knew exactly how bad it was going to get, but economists warned of a difficult year ahead. It was December 1990. All predictions indicated a deepening recession and further job cuts. Worse still, a rapidly emerging crime wave was beginning to paralyze the city. Two weeks before Christmas, Toronto was hit by a record 26 robberies in one day – banks, cabs, stores, restaurants, pedestrians – many involving weapons. It was more than just a holiday blitz.
Police blamed the deteriorating economy and rising unemployment. Things only got worse in 1991, when Ontario experienced record high crime rates. It wasn't until the mid-1990s that the numbers began to taper off. Today, the GTA is one of the safest regions in Canada. The last decade has seen dramatic – and consistent – decreases in almost every criminal classification.
But now some experts are worrying that history may soon repeat itself."

From Alberta -- Canadians prep for economic induced crime wave.
By TAMAS VIRAG, SUN MEDIA, January 28, 2008.

"Cops and criminologists are warning that a serious downturn of Ontario's economy could mean more organized crime for Alberta. ""People go where there's money. If there's money here and it's disposable, someone's going to be looking for a piece of it," Sgt. Peter Ratcliff of the Edmonton Police Association said yesterday. "What that might look like, I don't really know." Criminologist Bill Pitt, however, has an idea of what that future may look like. And it's not pretty.
"You're going to see more narcotics on the street, pushed at lower prices. You're going to see more prostitution on the street, pushed at lower prices," he said, adding that the fallout from an increased number of gangs competing for one of the last pieces of prime Canadian turf might reach rarely seen proportions. "I think there's going to be issues between and among organized crime groups that are going to be fought out in the street, as they were in the recession in the '30s in Chicago ... fighting for dominance," he said, adding that all-out gang warfare - such as the one seen a decade ago in Quebec between two competing biker gangs - is not out of the question.
Part of the problem, he continued, is that police forces in Alberta have been facing west, working hard to keep out bad influences from Vancouver, but have largely ignored threats from the East.
"It's our back door and it's wide open ... I think we're going to see more movement from the East, we're going to see more intrusion from major organized crime," he said. "We're playing catch-up to them, and they're on the way."