Seven Canadian police officers to be recognized by banking industry for outstanding efforts

St. John’s, NL – Seven police officers will be honoured tonight for their dedicated work in combating crimes against Canada’s banks. This year’s recipients of the Canadian Banks’ Law Enforcement Awards (CBLEA) include two members of the Vancouver Police Department, a team of four officers from the Ottawa region, and one officer from the Toronto Police Service.

The officers will receive their awards, presented annually by the Canadian Bankers Association (CBA), during a gala ceremony and dinner at the Fairmont Newfoundland in St. John’s as part of the annual Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police Conference.

This year’s conference is jointly hosted by the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

This year’s recipient from the Toronto Police Service is:

• Detective Carmine Palermo

Detective Palermo is receiving the CBLEA in recognition of his outstanding work in an investigation of credit card application fraud, believed to be one of the largest of its kind in Canada. The case ended in the arrest of an individual and the recovery of vehicles and property as well as a significant cache of weapons.

This year’s recipients from Ottawa are:

• Sergeant Andrew Buchan of the Ottawa Police Service
• Detective Sergeant Kelly Anderson of the Ontario Provincial Police’s (OPP) e-crime Section
• Detective Sergeant Dave Lollar of the OPP’s Anti-Racket Section
• Provincial Constable Josée Arbour of the OPP

This team of officers from the Ottawa area is being recognized for their exceptional commitment in a joint-forces investigation, led by the Ontario Provincial Police, into the manufacture and sale of equipment used to skim personal information then used in the manufacture of fraudulent credit cards. The investigation led to 13 arrests and police seized specialized computers and software, thousands of fake credit cards and dozens of card skimming and manufacturing devices.

This year’s recipients from the Vancouver Police Department are:

• Detective Constable Mark Fenton
  
• Detective Constable David Frame

This team of officers, members of the department’s Computer Investigative Support Unit, are receiving this award for their work in an investigation that led to the arrest of 16 individuals across North America allegedly involved in a world-wide cyber crime ring responsible for trafficking in stolen personal information.

“The reality of financial crime today means that police officers must often investigate cases that cross borders, overlap jurisdictions, and extend into cyberspace,” said Raymond Protti, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Canadian Bankers Association. “The banking industry sincerely appreciates the detailed and exhaustive work that law enforcement does to investigate these difficult cases and we are pleased to have this opportunity to thank and honour these exceptional police officers tonight.”

Since the creation of the CBLEA in 1972, 200 officers from across Canada have been honoured for their outstanding bravery, investigative ability and other noteworthy achievements to combat crimes against Canada’s banks. Additional information about the CBLEA can be found at www.cba.ca under “About Us”.

The Canadian Bankers Association is an industry association representing the domestic and foreign chartered banks of Canada and their 249,000 employees.

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For more information:
Melanie Minos, Manager, Media Relations
Tel: (416) 362-6093, ext. 220
Cell: (416) 587-7733
E-mail: mminos@cba.ca