B.C. to hire 168 more police to combat gangs, gun crime
The B.C. government says it will deploy 168 new police officers and 10 new prosecutors over the next two years in an attempt to crack down on gangs and gun violence linked to the illegal drug trade.
"Recent gang violence has been both shocking and appalling, and British Columbians have had enough," said Premier Gordon Campbell on Friday at RCMP headquarters in Vancouver.
"We're adding more police officers to investigate, arrest and get violent criminals off the street, and we're dedicating more prosecutors to put criminals behind bars."
The seven-point plan rolled out by the premier on Friday also included promises to build more jails and secure courtrooms for prosecuting dangerous criminals, lobbying the federal government for tougher laws, cracking down on illegal guns with a special police unit, outlawing armoured vehicles and body armour, and creating a new anti-gang phone line for tipsters.
Prince George and Kelowna to get special units
The new police officers will also be used to create two 16-member satellite gang units in Prince George and Kelowna in the province's Interior, and a 10-member unit dedicated to seizing illegal firearms, said Minister for Public Safety and Solicitor General John van Dongen.
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"Putting these additional police resources onto the street and backing them up with additional resources in the courtroom means we can dramatically increase our efforts to get these gangs off our streets," said van Dongen.
RCMP spokesman Sgt. Tim Shields said gang members have replaced old fashioned pistols with serious weapons as a new way to send messages to rivals.
"Now we're finding that criminals want to be associated with a gun like this. This is an AR15. And criminals are using guns like this or expensive handguns like Glocks as status symbols," Shields said Friday.
The 10 new Crown prosecutors will be dedicated to work with police and prosecute gangs, bringing the total number of prosecutors working on gangs, guns and organized crime cases to 75 in B.C., said Attorney General Wally Oppal.
In addition, those prosecutors will be directed to oppose bail when guns are used in the commission of a crime, and to take those cases straight to trial and seek maximum sentences, said Oppal.
Changes sought in Ottawa
"I'm going to Ottawa with the solicitor general to lobby for the changes we need to tackle gangs in British Columbia," said Oppal.
"If you use a gun while committing a crime, you shouldn't get bail. We want an end to two-for-one credit for time served. And we need a modern wiretap regulation that recognizes new technologies like cellphones and other devices," said Oppal.
The province will also invest $185 million to build 304 additional jail cells, including 180 cells at a new maximum security Lower Mainland pretrial centre in Burnaby.
NDP leader calls for action
Meanwhile the leader of the NDP is also calling for a broad range of initiatives to deal with gang violence.
Just before the premier's announcement Carole James spoke in Vancouver, calling for tougher sentencing and more money devoted to policing and criminal prosecutions.
"The kind of gang violence we're seeing right now in our communities has got to end," she said.
James said the province needs to devote more resources to the problem, including more money to hire additional police officers and for community policing. She also called for dedicated units of experienced Crown lawyers to prosecute cases and stronger sentences for violent criminals.