|
The expansion of the definition of offence related property, beyond that which had been only found in the Controlled Drugs and Substance Act and what had been introduced to the Criminal Code by C-95, will be an extremely significant benefit to law enforcement. The seizure and forfeiture of the instrumentalities from a broader range of offences, will serve to have an immediate deterrent financial impact as well as punitive impact. Similarly, the expansion of the definition of those offences which will now be the broader range of "designated offences" from which the proceeds of crime can be seized and forfeited will be of significant benefit. This would correct the situation where police investigate organized crime groups which specialize in the lucrative the manufacture of counterfeit credit cards, contrary to section 342, cannot restraint and seize proceeds of crime arising from that offence as it is not currently defined as an "enterprise crime offence". Also, there is a need to broaden access to income tax information for all "designated offences" as that access is not overly intrusive, but is now available only in drug and criminal organization offences. The initiatives to deal with intimidation are also seen to be of significant value, however again where the offence is applicable to only to "justice system participants" the protection should be conceptually expanded to "any vulnerable person". It may be possible to develop "no go zones" or "bubble zones" akin to the peace bond provisions of the Criminal Code. |