While British police have charged 1,000 suspects in the riots around London this month, Vancouver police said Wednesday it can't be compared to the lack of charges following the violent Stanley Cup riots.
Vancouver Police Chief Jim Chu said he is frustrated the city's rioters are not before the courts or in prison but that Canada's legal system is not the same as Britain's.
"Our laws are different, our courts are different and our riots are different," he said at a news conference on Wednesday.
He said comparing the two riots is "neither fair nor accurate."
Staff Sgt. Lee Patterson, who has served as a police officer in both Britain and Canada, said at the press conference that the two situations are entirely different because British police have many more legal powers in terms of laying charges, and England's court processing is different.
Patterson said while Vancouver's riot broke out spontaneously and was a gathering of sports spectators, in Britian, it was a social injustice march that sparked the ruckus.
Though both events involved youth, Patterson said most in Vancouver were from "financially stable backgrounds."
He said that the heavy use of closed circuit TV cameras keeping an eye on many British neighbourhoods also makes a difference.
"CCTV cameras are controlled by the local authority and easily accessible to the police," he said.
The U.K. has a history of public disorder from soccer hooliganism to race riots and the justice system allows for a speedier court processing time.
Also, since police are unarmed they must rely on legislation to restore order and have different powers to enter homes and different rules for evidence gathering, Patterson said.
In Vancouver, 41 people have turned themselves in to police. Investigators have also identified 268 suspects in connection with the riots.
Laying charges to the 41 suspects has proven difficult for Vancouver police because many of the youths were brought in by their parents and police can't find evidence to support charges against them.
Eight charges, for offenses like mischief and break and enter, were forwarded just after the riot but prosecutors sent them back for more information.
Chu said it will take months before all the evidence is processed and the police are ready to make arrests.
"Even though we acknowledge the frustration of those who wish these suspects were already in jail, there are many reasons why we must proceed at this pace," he said.
Chu said that rushing the process results in fewer convictions and lighter sentences.
"Our diligence and thoroughness will ensure that we lay the highest number of charges and obtain the greatest number of convictions with the most severe penalties," he said.
Investigators are scouring 1,600 hours of video and the force is spending $160,000 to use a high-tech police lab in Indianapolis for analysis.
He also announced the launching of a new website dedicated to the riot investigation that will contain pictures of 150 new suspects.
Hundreds of people smashed storefronts and torched vehicles after the Vancouver Canucks lost Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final on June 15.
On Aug. 6, more than 3,000 people rioted in London and other English cities for four nights after a peaceful protest turned violent.
With files from The Canadian Press
