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A rioter taunts the police during a riot in Vancouver June 15, 2011.John Lehmann/The Globe and Mail

Four months after the Stanley Cup riot that left millions of dollars in damages, no charges have been laid. Now, Vancouver police say it could be years before all of the suspected rioters get their date with the judge.

"This could take a year or two years to investigate fully," Inspector Les Yeo of the department's riot investigation squad announced during a news conference Monday.

Insp. Yeo repeated earlier claims that 500 to 700 rioters will be charged in all, and said the force is still on pace to recommend charges against 40 people by Oct. 31.

But Monday marked the first time the department revealed just how long its investigation into the rioting, fighting and looting that broke out after the Canucks lost Game 7 of the Stanley Cup final might take. Sixty investigators are working on the case. Insp. Yeo wouldn't comment on the cost of the investigation.

He denied any suggestion the force has mishandled the investigation and said it's taking its time to ensure it gets guilty pleas and convictions.

But Robert Gordon, director of criminology at Simon Fraser University, raised an eyebrow at the length of time it might take for some of the rioters to be charged.

"It's inconceivable to me that justice would be delayed as long as that," he said.

On the one hand, Mr. Gordon said, the public wants to see accountability. On the other, those who are linked to the June 15 mayhem do have rights.

"While one doesn't want to be overly sympathetic, they are entitled to reasonably swift resolution," he said. "… Waiting to find out exactly when the axe is going to drop on their necks, that I don't think is particularly fair."

Investigators recently returned from a laboratory in Indianapolis where they processed 5,000 hours of riot video. Insp. Yeo said police now have the ability to identify rioters of whom they only had scant footage before.

"We also have the ability to identify rioters who have masked up simply by tracking the group they were with prior to their masking up," he said.

Police have said they want to ensure the rioters are charged with every single offence that was committed.

While investigators naturally want to put their best case forward, Mr. Gordon said the level of evidence police are trying to meet could equate to overkill.

"They want to be in a position to show a fair bit of footage of the person actually doing it," he said. "The question is, how much footage do you need and how many ancillary offences do you need to go along with it?"

Neil MacKenzie, spokesman for the Criminal Justice Branch, said it's tough to say how long the Crown might take to lay charges once it receives the 40 case files. Some could take days, while others could run longer.

Days after the riot, Vancouver police forwarded eight files to the Crown. The Criminal Justice Branch sent them back, feeling they were incomplete. Mr. MacKenzie wouldn't speculate on whether some of the 40 files might also be sent back to police.

The Crown spokesman also wouldn't comment on what effect two years of cases would have on a court system that's already backlogged. Dozens of cases have been abandoned in B.C. this year because of lengthy delays.

Samiran Lakshman, president of the B.C. Crown Counsel Association, said if it takes two years to lay charges, he wouldn't be surprised to see applications to have those cases thrown out of court.

"If we're looking at charges in these matters being two years away, that would be somewhat unusual for our criminal justice system to start dealing with," he said.

Insp. Yeo said all of the accused will be charged with at least participating in a riot. That carries a maximum penalty of two years in jail.

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