Police say battle against gangs effective, but unfinished

Calgary police says their fight against organized crime is a successful, but an ongoing battle.

In 2008 alone, 15 people were killed in gang-related murders. Since then there has only been one gang-related murder in each of the past three years.

Det. Jason Walker, with the Organized Crime Section, says they have been working with school and agencies to reach at-risk youth.

"It's nice to know that compared to four years ago the numbers drop dramatically, but behind that number is still us having to do a lot of work to suppress what would otherwise be a much larger number," said Walker.

The unit also keeps a close eye on gang members, including keeping track of who is getting out of jail and when.

"They're going to be on conditions, they're on statutory release, so we know they need to be at home or at a half-way house between certain hours. So again, we're going to make an effort to make sure they are where they need to be when they should be there."

Walker says their success depends heavily on gathering information about gang members and that often starts with anonymous public tips.