More police teams and prosecutors dedicated to combating gang violence will be on the ground and new curbs on gang crime and illegal guns will soon be in place. These are among a dozen new and expanded initiatives that are part of a more than $23-million boost to B.C.’s Guns and Gangs Strategy.
The funding will bolster public safety in Surrey, Williams Lake and other communities that have seen recent spikes in violent, public gang activity, through a three-pillar approach focused on:
Supporting effective enforcement and prosecution.
Furthering community safety and public engagement.
Expanding laws and sanctions targeting illegal guns and gang violence, profits and property.
“The frequency and public nature of recent gang shootings is unacceptable and demands this additional, strategic deployment of resources. People deserve to feel safe no matter where they live in B.C.,” Premier Christy Clark said.
 – b.c.’s integrated anti-gang organization – to support police in communities around the province, dealing head-on with violent criminals to suppress and disrupt their activities.</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
enhanced funding for the provincial tactical enforcement priority (ptep) – a comprehensive approach that has integrated municipal, provincial and federal intelligence systems to maximize police efforts to pinpoint and disrupt gang and criminal networks.</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
putting dedicated crown counsel on priority ptep files in surrey that involve offenders with lower-level ties to guns and gangs. this will enhance continuity as these cases proceed to trial and build prosecutors’ familiarity with, and expertise in handling, these files.</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
expanding the capacity for electronic monitoring of high-risk offenders and ensuring the courts – which have sole discretion over assigning electronic monitoring as a condition of a recognizance or sentence – are fully aware of the options at their disposal.</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
the second pillar will further community safety and public engagement by:</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
establishing a new office of crime reduction and gang outreach. this office will work with cfseu-bc in support of its end gang life program, as well as local governments and agencies, to provide overarching co-ordination of provincial anti-gang outreach programs.</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
creating an illegal firearms task force to study and strengthen provincial and federal programs related to illegal firearms.</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
.jpg)
MORE National ARTICLES
'Engines On Jean Lapierre Plane Were Functioning At Time Of Crash'
The former federal cabinet minister, his wife, three of his siblings and both crew members died Tuesday when their aircraft crashed on its landing approach about three kilometres from the Havre-aux-Maisons airport in Iles-de-la-Madeleine.
'Engines On Jean Lapierre Plane Were Functioning At Time Of Crash'
Police Investigate After Black Lives Matter Protest At Ontario Premier's House
Toronto police are investigating at the home of Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne after protesters with the Black Lives Matter group staged a vigil at her private residence Thursday night.
Police Investigate After Black Lives Matter Protest At Ontario Premier's House
Ontario Father Found Not Criminally Responsible In 5-Year-Old Daughter's Backyard Stabbing
The 38-year-old London, Ont., man, who cannot be named to protect the identity of his child, was charged with attempted murder in the stabbing of the little girl.
Ontario Father Found Not Criminally Responsible In 5-Year-Old Daughter's Backyard Stabbing
Ottawa Man And Friend Escape Two Yukon Avalanches While Backcountry Skiing
Goulet, 44, said he and six friends were backcountry skiing Wednesday at Log Cabin Mountain, 180 kilometres south of Whitehorse near the B.C.-Alaska boundary, when two avalanches struck.
Ottawa Man And Friend Escape Two Yukon Avalanches While Backcountry Skiing
First-Degree Murder Charge Reinstated In Case Of Toronto Sex Worker's Death
Ontario's top court on Thursday ordered a man to stand trial for first-degree murder in the case of a woman found dead with semen in her mouth.
First-Degree Murder Charge Reinstated In Case Of Toronto Sex Worker's Death
Why Police Costs Across Canada Are Rising Despite Sinking Crime Rate
While communities across the country grapple with police budgets that in some cases are eating up to 50 per cent of their operating budgets, solutions to what's become a perennial headache have proven elusive.