Quebec police squad aims to wage war on dealers of illegal explosives and guns

"We noticed that there may be an increase in the acquisition of explosives," said Jocelyn Latulippe, the Quebec provincial police chief inspector who oversees the new squad.

Although he said police can't refer to specific trends right now, that will change with the new specialized squad, which will crack down on suppliers of illegal weapons.

"This squad is going to ensure that we are going to have permanent intelligence in this field."

It's a tactic that has proven successful in fighting organized crime and biker gangs. The explosives and firearms unit is one of several such squads being rolled out by Quebec police, with others targeting street gangs, tobacco smuggling and aboriginal organized crime.

The unit, which was officially announced Wednesday, also brings together investigators from city police forces such as Montreal, Laval and Longueuil as well as the RCMP.

It will also have close links with the Canada Border Services Agency, the Ontario Provincial Police and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Latulippe said Wednesday such partnerships are "essential" in carrying out successful investigations.

"With this unit, we're going to reach a new level," Latulippe said, promising criminals will feel the heat from the targeted approach.

Acting Insp. Tom Girling of the Ontario Provincial Police said his organization has had success with such an approach by its provincial weapons enforcement unit, which started in 1994.

"We're looking at the intelligence, we're identifying the priorities and we're going after them," he said, noting the OPP has always had a good relationship with its Quebec counterpart.

"What this squad is going to allow us to do is work closely with an actual unit that is dedicated to the same type of enforcement that we've got going on in Ontario."

That was echoed by Dominique McNeely, a Canada Border Services Agency spokesman.

"Sharing of information and intelligence with our partners is a key point in stopping contraband weapons," he said.

Statistics Canada says the use of firearms in crimes in Canada has risen by 32 per cent in the last five years. In 2007, police seized 6,100 firearms - 17 per cent of them handguns.

Latulippe said weapons trafficking investigations often spun out of probes by the province's anti-biker unit.

"The new thing that we have now is that after many years of experience in the field, and after many years of gathering intelligence in that area, I think we are now ready to have a permanent squad in this field of investigation."

The unit, which has an annual budget of $1.6 million, is also a result of tougher provincial efforts against gun crimes with measures such as the so-called Anastasia's Law, which was named after the young student killed during a gunman's rampage at Montreal's Dawson College in 2006.

Explosives figured prominently in operations spearheaded by the squad last week.

Three people with alleged ties to outlaw biker gangs were arrested last Thursday and about 1,200 kilograms of explosives were seized in two swoops when police teams intercepted a car northeast of Quebec City and later raided a Montreal apartment.

A fourth suspect in the case was arrested this week, on Tuesday evening at a service station in St-Jean-Port-Joli.

In all, the unit has brought four cases to fruition since it began in April, arresting 10 people and seizing a quantity of arms, gun parts and explosives.