Vancouver police change tactics in gang war
"The truth of the matter is that when one gangster targets another gangster, it's difficult to prevent, and difficult to prove in court, after the fact," police Chief Jim Chu said on Friday at police headquarters.
Instead of waiting until they have built a case on serious charges, police have started charging gang members for less serious crimes, Chu said.
"Frankly, we are prepared to arrest them on any and as many crimes as we can. As long as it gets them off the street and into a jail cell, where innocent members of the public can't be hurt, we will continue to pursue them this way," he said.
"As police, we've always been told by media experts to never say or admit that there is a gang war. Well, let's get serious. There is a gang war and it's brutal."
South Vancouver gangs targeted
Insp. Mike Porteous, the lead officer for Project Rebellion, the Vancouver Police Department's new anti-gang operation, said police recently used the tactic to arrest five people allegedly involved in a southeast Vancouver gang feud.
The men were arrested while on their way to attack rival gang members, said Porteous, as he stood in front of a table full of guns and bulletproof vests seized during the arrests.
Police said the prize catch was Udham Sanghera, 58, of Vancouver, the alleged leader of one of the gangs.
"Udham Sanghera is the head of the 15-member Sanghera crime group, which operates in southeast Vancouver," said Porteous.
"That family is in direct conflict with the Bhuttar-Malli group and this conflict has over the past couple of years resulted in close to 100 shootings in that area of the city."
Sanghera was not charged in connection with any shootings. Instead, he faces several charges relating to the possession of weapons.
Also facing several weapons possession charges are Gordon Robert Taylor, 42, of Vancouver and Barjinder (Bobby) Singh Sanghera, 31, of Vancouver.
Tejinder Singh Malli, 24, of Richmond, and Bimal Datt Sharma, 28, of Vancouver, were also arrested, but on charges of breaking and entering.
Suspects out on bail
The ability of police forces across the Lower Mainland to crackdown on gang and gun violence has faced a lot of criticism in recent months as a deadly gang war appears to be escalating, while police struggle to make any arrests.
Since the start of the year, at least 11 people have been killed in what police have called targeted shootings linked to a gang war over the illegal drug trade.
"What we have seen are new rules of engagement for the gangsters. They are now shooting each other when they don't have to," said Chu.
Perhaps as a show of force by police, the announcement of the arrests was made at a high-profile news conference Friday attended by Mayor Gregor Robertson and a large number of senior police officers.
The arrests themselves were not that new. Four were made last month and one was made in November.
It is not clear what effect the arrests will have on the Lower Mainland gang war. Three of the five men arrested are already out on bail, something police say they lobbied against.
Earlier this week, the RCMP and several municipal police forces appeared to use the same tactic when they arrested two of the Lower Mainland's most notorious alleged gang members on fraud charges relating to the lease of luxury vehicles.
Jonathan Bacon and Dennis Karbovanec were arrested in Abbotsford and Port Moody, but much like the Vancouver arrests, the two were released the next day on bail. RCMP promised they would keep a close eye on the pair's whereabouts.