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B.C. gang police only scratching the surface

Writer wonder how task force will stop drive-by shootings

Re: Anti-gang police publish first community report (vicnews.com)

With the B.C. Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit’s “Go Public” campaign, I breathed a sigh of frustration.

Over the last six years there has been a steady increase in gang activities, contrary to the “successes” tooted by the integrated team.

And with each bust there is a corresponding rise in the numbers of emerging organized crime groups in the province.

The performance and effectiveness of this agency and its partner members also has declined, and alarmingly so, as far as public security is concerned.

When I read the limited, but nonetheless colourful explanation of this new idea, I can barely keep my breakfast down.

I fail to see just how this task force is actually going to stop drive-by shootings.

There is evidence that the intelligence gathering is flawed, and how we don’t deal with the root causes in our community, choosing to throw money at policing instead.

The unit is now out to capture a bigger public profile, but so far has removed a drop in an Olympic-sized swimming pool.

Kathryn Perry

Victoria