Drunk drivers more dangerous than murderers, OPP chief says:

Drunk drivers more dangerous than murderers, OPP chief says:
Date: Nov 17, 2006 9:58 AM
PUBLICATION: The Ottawa Citizen
DATE: 2006.11.17
EDITION: Final
SECTION: News
PAGE: A5
BYLINE: April Lindgren
SOURCE: The Ottawa Citizen
DATELINE: TORONTO
ILLUSTRATION: Photo: Bill Sandford, Reuters / Julian Fantino, the
newcommissioner of the Ontario Provincial Police, hoists his
three-year-old granddaughter, Mikaela Lioumanis, after yesterday's
swearing in ceremony in Toronto.
WORD COUNT: 361

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Drunk drivers more dangerous than murderers, OPP chief says: Fantino
sworn in as new commissioner

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TORONTO - Drunk drivers kill more people than murderers in Ontario, a
trend that should not be allowed to continue, the new commissioner of
the Ontario Provincial Police said yesterday.

"Impaired drivers put innocent people at risk every time they get behind
the wheel and they must be stopped," Julian Fantino said at a ceremony
marking his installation as the province's top police officer.

"This is a totally preventable crime that needs to be addressed with
much more vigour."

Commissioner Fantino, a former Toronto police chief who, until recently,
served as Ontario's commissioner of emergency management, also vowed to
campaign for improvements to the court system that deals with the
impaired drivers charged by police officers.

"We're also negatively impacted by the significant gaps in our criminal
justice system," Commissioner Fantino said. "Court cancellations and
delays, the long remands, plea bargaining and charges stayed or
withdrawn all too often undermine our efforts to deal with alcohol and
drug-related driving occurrences. And so, all too often the guilty get
off, the behaviour is reinforced and offenders go unpunished, very often
undeterred, and continue to reoffend.

"We will continue to pursue these callous and inconsiderate criminals
with tenacity," he said. "(And) we will continue reminding the lawmakers
and those who operate in the system that impaired driving is the leading
cause of criminal deaths in Canada."

Data from Ontario's transportation ministry and Statistics Canada
indicate that in 2004 there were 187 homicides in the province and 192
drinking and driving-related fatalities. The year before, there were 178
homicides and 217 drinking and driving-related deaths.

Impaired driving fatalities are responsible for about one quarter of all
traffic-related deaths each year.

Commissioner Fantino's outspokenness, a hallmark off his style over the
years, was taken in stride by Premier Dalton McGuinty, who spoke at the
ceremony.

"I'm pleased to see he has already taken on a new cause," Mr. McGuinty
told reporters. "We've got some of the safest roads already, but I love
his ambition."

Mr. McGuinty conceded "there is more work to be done" improving the
court system's efficiency.

"We've hired not only more police, but more Crowns, more judges, we're
building more courthouses," he said.

"We've developed new, sophisticated major crime courts (and) guns and
gangs task forces. We're trying to bring as many resources to bear as we
can to deal with those issues."




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