As the Surrey RCMP continues its strategic efforts to deal with the violence linked to youth in the drug trade, one of the detachment’s specialized teams is taking positive steps towards addressing the root causes of these incidents.
Surrey RCMP’s Gang Enforcement Team (SGET) is responsible for reducing the risk to public safety resulting from the actions of organized or criminal gang groups. The unit’s mandate also includes involvement in prevention efforts to stem this kind of criminal activity from occurring in the first place.
This past spring break, SGET officers engaged in a series of week-long activities at a local secondary school with 35 Grade 6 and 7 students from a nearby elementary school. School officials selected students who were exhibiting potentially at-risk or gang-associated behaviour.
With the help of school personnel and local high school students, the police officers, attired in street clothes and athletic gear, engaged in a number of sports and leisure activities throughout the week with the kids. They also conversed with the students on a wide range of topics and helped out with a hip-hop clinic put on by one of the teachers.
As word got out about these activities, more kids from the neighbourhood started attending and the dialogue and engagement continued. In their discussions, the officers asked the kids about their areas of interest and spoke about why it was important to give back to their community. They also demonstrated some of the tools and equipment they use in their job. The big surprise came at the end of the week when the officers arrived in full uniform with "Surrey Gang Unit" printed prominently on their vests.
The kids were totally floored, says SGET Sergeant Michael Sanchez, who helped organize the initiative. They knew we were police officers but had no idea we were part of a team that specifically targets individuals whose lifestyles some of them looked up to and idolized. As expected, many of them were surprised that we weren’t trying to preach to them and that you could have fun and talk to us without any negative implications.
The kids soaked up a lot during the week and clearly had a great time with the officers, says Surrey School District Safe Schools Manager Rob Rai. This initiative was very successful and we plan to do something similar once the school year ends. With the help of our policing partners, we are enabling students to make positive life choices that will set them on a better path.
Surrey RCMP offers a number of preventative and educational youth programs including the Wrap program, Code Blue, and Youth Police Academy. The detachment is also looking at more early intervention opportunities to ensure that our young people are making the right choices and have positive role models.
In our experience, engaging with these kids as early as possible has a profound impact on them down the road, says Superintendent Shawn Gill, Community Services Officer. Together with the Surrey School District and other community partners, we want to help youth make pro-social choices so they never get involved in criminal activity. It is much more difficult to remove them from that lifestyle once they start down that path.
This past Monday, the Surrey RCMP, along with the Surrey School District and Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit (CFSEU-BC) hosted a community forum to provide parents, students, and residents with information regarding youth involvement in drug trafficking and the violence that often accompanies this criminal lifestyle. Approximately 350 people attended.
