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
Two B.C. Hunters Give Thanks, Donation, To Teams Who Saved Them From Grizzly
Robbie Austin and Chris Eyre were attacked about 200 kilometres southwest of Fort Nelson last September, and they credit CFB Comox members, conservation officers and paramedics for helping them survive.
Two B.C. Hunters Give Thanks, Donation, To Teams Who Saved Them From Grizzly
Canadian Airlines Fear Acceleration Of Cross-Border Travel To Cuba
Canadian airlines say impending U.S. travel to Cuba could spur cross-border travelling by Canadians in search of cheaper flights from American airports to the Communist Caribbean island.
Canadian Airlines Fear Acceleration Of Cross-Border Travel To Cuba
Halifax Pediatrician, 72, Faces Charges Of Possessing, Sharing Child Pornography
Halifax police said Dr. William Richard Vitale, 72, was arrested around 6:25 a.m. at a house in the 400 block of St. Margarets Bay Road where officers seized computer equipment.
Halifax Pediatrician, 72, Faces Charges Of Possessing, Sharing Child Pornography
Deaths Show Need For Dedicated Child Advocate In Nova Scotia, Conservatives Say
Nova Scotia needs a dedicated child advocate after the deaths of at least 11 children under provincial care since 2004, including a 16-year-old girl found dead in a Halifax home over the weekend, the opposition Tories say.
Deaths Show Need For Dedicated Child Advocate In Nova Scotia, Conservatives Say
Hailey Dunbar-Blanchette Murder: Preliminary Hearing For Suspect In Deaths Of Alberta Father, Child
Derek Saretzky appeared briefly via closed-circuit television from the Calgary Remand Centre. He is charged with first-degree murder in the September deaths of Hailey Dunbar-Blanchette and Terry Blanchette.
Hailey Dunbar-Blanchette Murder: Preliminary Hearing For Suspect In Deaths Of Alberta Father, Child
Catholic Health Provider Cautious About Assisted Dying Ahead Of New Law
An internal memo from a Roman Catholic health-care provider in Vancouver reminds its leadership team that physician-assisted dying violates the Catholic faith and until the law changes the service will not be provided.