Article published on 19 March 2011
Vancouver Police Not Overly Concerned about Planned Mega Casino
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Deputy Chief Warren Lemcke said that the police were more concerned with crime from nightclubs and bars than they were with crimes originating from casinos.
When confronted by city councilors regarding their fears of a mega casino triggering crimes such as money laundering, Lemcke said that only 70 calls a year were made to the police regarding the Edgewater Casino at the Plaza of Nations, and that none of them involved money laundering or crimes related to gambling.
He said to a packed audience: "I'm actually more concerned about bars and nightclubs. In the grand scheme of things, it's almost no drain on police resources. Our focus on Friday and Saturday night is the entertainment district on Granville Street."
However, the deputy chief did say that his department would need to hire more staff members in order to monitor the area in and around the casino.
He said that it was not so much in order to police gambling related crime, but more for the fact that the neighborhood would become much busier if Paragon's $500 million proposal to construct two new hotels and a few restaurants, was accepted.
"It's not so much the casino," said Lemcke, "it's the entire package and that's the part that we really have to monitor and watch."
He said that Paragon should be obliged to join Barwatch and Restaurantwatch, two organizations that help establishments keep gangsters out.
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