The number of people and businesses receiving threats in Peel Region has been growing, but police hope help is finally on the way.
Last year alone, there were 476 reported cases — of which 190 targeted businesses — and that only reflects incidents where the victims have come forward.
“There are people that aren’t coming forward and are paying. There are people that aren’t able to pay and are still facing those threats, but still don’t come forward,” Peel Police Deputy Chief Nick Milinovich told Global News.
“There are people that do come forward and they don’t come forward until days after they receive the threat and experience the violence.”
On Thursday, the federal government said it was taking a major step toward tackling the situation by embedding financial crime experts within the Peel Regional Police.
Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne announced a suite of new initiatives he said will make it easier for police to “follow the money” and disrupt criminal networks.
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The government says Canada’s financial intelligence agency Fintrac will put new resources behind tackling extortion. As part of that effort, Fintrac agents will also join with local law enforcement on the ground to help quickly trace reports of extortion.
Fintrac will also share data with financial institutions to help them flag suspicious transactions.
Across the region, police have been dealing with an increasing number of extortion and brazen cases.
The allegations investigators are presented with generally begin with a WhatsApp message sent to a business, Milinovich said.
“In Ontario, you have extortions that are the result of two types of violence: you have extortions that are occurring because the people have been involved in some kind of criminal activity, and then in between you have extortions that are associated to families and business owners,” he explained.
In early January, for example, a shooting was reported at a business located in Caledon’s Perdue Court around 2:30 a.m. OPP said no injuries were reported, noting it was the same location as a similar shooting the month before.
“The OPP urges community members to remain vigilant and promptly report suspicious activity to police,” police said at the time.
Local police hope the introduction of financial experts into their operations will make it easier to trace extortion and harder to get away with.
“The reality is this type of crime is motivated by money,” Milinovich said. “Fintrac are the experts in the area of money. Currently, as it sits right now, it’s high-reward, low-risk. That needs to change. We need to reduce the reward that people gain from being involved in extortion. It’s a big deal for us.”
Champagne was asked in Mississauga whether any new money was being committed in Thursday’s announcement.
He didn’t answer directly and said he couldn’t share operational details without the risk of tipping law enforcement’s hand. But he didn’t rule out additional spending.
“My message to Fintrac is, if any additional resources are needed, we’ll be there,” Champagne said.
The aim for police in Peel Region now is to lean on their federal resources to try to make extortion less financially appealing.
“It’s the fear business,” Milinovich concluded.
— With files from The Canadian Press
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