The estimated 2,500 - sorry, 2,498 - fugitives living in Vancouver are wanted for relatively minor crimes ranging from assault and theft to parole violations. They're subject to non-returnable warrants, so called because their home jurisdiction is unwilling to pay for their return.

'This threatens the safety of our city,' said police chief Jim Chu recently. 'They infest our city like a plague and they get away with it because these warrants are seen as get-out-of-town warrants.'

A couple of months ago, Mr Chu went to the business community and told them he needed help in funding the removal of these petty criminals.

The Board of Trade immediately offered a novel solution. Within a week, the business community had donated 1 million air miles.

'These are criminals who committed crimes in their provinces and are now committing crimes in Vancouver,' said Darcy Rezac, managing director of the Board of Trade. 'We were able to get a million air miles without trying much. I'm sure there could be more.'

It costs about 25,000 air miles to fly one-way to most places in Canada from Vancouver.

Police in Vancouver are also batting around the idea of holding car washes to raise money to send non-returnable suspects back. The whole notion of getting outside funding to rid the city of fugitives irks the police chief, who believes the various levels of government should provide more financing to combat the problem.

After announcing the crackdown on fugitives with non-returnable warrants, the police made a big show of their first two captures.

Adam Croft, 43, was wanted in Ontario on seven counts, including assault. He arrived in Vancouver in October 2002. Although the police are usually careful about protecting the privacy of alleged criminals, the media was invited along when Vancouver police picked up Croft, who local authorities knew well.

At the prospect of being sent back to Toronto, Croft chose to plead guilty and opted to serve his sentence in British Columbia.

When it came to the arrest of another man - Michael John Brennan, 45, charged with assault with a weapon - the police chief told the media when Brennan was going to arrive at the airport for his scheduled flight back to London, Ontario. In that case, London authorities picked up the cost of transporting Brennan.

Will Con-Air - a film set on a prison transport plane - Vancouver-style, really make a difference in the city's crime rates? The police chief is betting it will. He plans to cut violent crime, which is already declining, by a further 10 per cent over the next five years.

Let's hope the air miles keep rolling in.

Tomorrow: New York