Friday, April 09, 2004

City grapples with terror concerns from The Vancouver Sun

Al-Qaeda is going to love this article.

First the police chief says this:

Police chief makes terror his top priority: B.C. solicitor-general insists Canada's risk remains low

Then he says this:

VANCOUVER - Vancouver residents would suffer sleepless nights if they knew what he knows about terrorist threats, Vancouver police chief Jamie Graham said Wednesday.

and this:

"If I was to tell your listeners what our intelligence was telling us and what I know, I tell you there would be some sleepless nights," Graham said.

Now come on Chief, which is it? A low risk or do I need sleeping pills?

Seems not everyone in the government agrees with the Chief.

But Solicitor-General Rich Coleman said in an interview later that he does not agree people would suffer sleepless nights if they received the same intelligence reports and risk assessments available to public security officers.

"No, I do not think they should. I think we live in one of the safest countries in the world," Coleman said when asked about Graham's comments.


Maybe you guys should read this and this and many others.

Here is the part bin Laden will love:

Bloor said the department was not able to break out how much of its annual budget is dedicated to anti-terrorism activities, but said one officer works with the RCMP's Integrated National Security Enforcement Team.

Graham said the department "will probably increase our commitment to them in the next little while."

Graham would not immediately offer specifics about which potential terrorist threats most concern him, but did mention the port as an area of concern.

The chief said he would like to see cities such as Vancouver receive more money from the federal government to combat potential terrorism.

If more funding was available, he said, the department would hire another person to help analyse terrorist intelligence reports and co-ordinate with the RCMP and U.S. intelligence agencies.

"I do not have a lot of dedicated police officers in Vancouver that get up every day and go to bed at night worried about the terrorist threat to Vancouver," Graham said.


Well, gee, I feel safer!

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