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Sergeant Goncalo Bernardo and Team, York Regional Police, Awarded the 2024 OACP/AGCO Award for Outstanding Investigation
For Immediate Release: June 11, 2024
(London, ON) – Sergeant Goncalo Bernardo of the York Regional Police (YRP) has been awarded the 2024 Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police (OACP)/Alcohol Gaming Commission of Ontario’s (AGCO) Award for Outstanding Investigation.
This award is presented to the police agency and/or individual who demonstrates excellence and innovation through their work in alcohol, gaming, horse racing and/or in the cannabis retail sectors.
A five (5) member Special Enforcement Team (SET) led by Sgt. Goncalo Bernardo conducted innovative and aggressive enforcement at illegal gaming houses to combat some of the violence that took place due to the heavy involvement of organized crime in this lucrative criminal market. The team leveraged community complaints, intelligence, Section 199 search warrants, cutting edge training, and a partnership with the O.P.P. Gaming Protection Unit to shut down illegal gaming operations in Richmond Hill, Markham, and Toronto – locations that had been targeted in shootings, robberies, and serious assaults.
The SET team took an innovative approach to combatting illegal gaming offences, which led to meaningful enforcement against organized crime. Over the course of the last calendar year, the SET team put a stop to five (5) illegal gaming operations through the execution of five (5) Section 199 Criminal Code search warrants. This resulted in:
- 10 keepers and 79 patrons of illegal gambling locations were charged with a total of 121 criminal charges
- Seizure of 29 video gambling machines and illegal gambling tables
- 2 vehicles seized as offence related property
- 5 illegal firearms seized
- Seizure of cash and other assets valued at more than $335,000
Historically, police response to this violence has usually been siloed in nature as the acts of violence are investigated but there is no enforcement conducted on the illegal gaming locations. Through the use of covert and overt investigative techniques, the SET team was able to prevent violence and send a message to organized crime organizations that illegal gaming operations will not be tolerated in Ontario.
The SET team has not only been effective in enforcement and prevention at these locations but has also been able to collect and share valuable intelligence with policing partners from across the province as they worked in close collaboration with the YRP Tactical Intelligence Unit and the O.P.P. Gaming Protection Unit. One intelligence coup included the identification of a patron of illegal gaming houses that is suspected of laundering more than $800,000 through Ontario casinos.
The SET team received training from the AGCO and the O.P.P. Gaming Protection Unit and gained valuable experience from their investigations. They are now paying it forward by training officers from across the GTA on gaming house investigations, informant development, dual-purpose stops, and witness interviews as they relate to illegal gaming investigations. This effort will result in increased awareness, intelligence gathering, and enforcement across the Greater Toronto Area to further protect communities.
This annual award is made possible by the generous support of
The Alcohol Gaming Commission of Ontario.
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#OACP2024
#HarnessingPolicingExcellence
For more information, contact:
Dr. José Luís (Joe) Couto
Director of Government Relations & Communications
T. (416) 926-0424 ext. 22
C. (416) 919-9798
E. media@oacp.ca
X. @OACPOfficial
@OACPCertificate
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