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PRINCE GEORGE – Sixteen
police officers will be dedicated to the fight against gangs and organized
crime in Prince George and northern B.C. as part of a seven-point plan,
announced by Premier Gordon Campbell yesterday, to get violent criminals off
the street, Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General John van Dongen
said today.
“Our
goals are clear and urgent: no more gangs, no more gunplay and no more innocent
victims, anywhere in B.C.,” said van Dongen. “We recognize that cracking down
on gangs in the Lower Mainland has led to some criminals congregating and
setting up shop in other urban centres – including Prince George. By giving
police and the justice system a greater, focused presence right here, we will
eliminate the gang network’s foothold in northern B.C.”
One hundred and sixty-eight new police officers will
focus on gangs over the next two years. Of those, 131 will be put in place
immediately. That nearly doubles the number of dedicated officers working on
gangs and organized crime to 368, including 16-member units for Kelowna and
Prince George.
“As part of our seven-point plan, the Province
will be dedicating an additional $1 million to programs focused on preventing
gang violence, including initiatives in Prince George,” said Shirley Bond, MLA
for Prince George-Mount Robson. “We have to counter the image that the criminal lifestyle is
glamorous, because it’s not. It’s dangerous and deadly. We all want to ensure
that families in Prince George feel safe in our community. These initiatives
will help us do just that.”
Prince
George North MLA Pat Bell said, “Prince George is a tight-knit community and
gang violence has affected all of us. With a new crime-fighting team in town,
we can all rally to rid our community of those who want to destroy it.”
“We
need to counter gang crime with prevention, tougher laws, enforcement and
prosecution,” said John Rustad, MLA for Prince George-Omineca. “This new strategy
that starts with prevention and ends with new jails should do just that.”
Van Dongen and Attorney General Wally Oppal are also
going to Ottawa to lobby for changes to the Criminal Code necessary to put gang
members in jail. The Province wants tougher penalties for gang-related crimes,
updating regulations for evidence-gathering that recognize technologies like
cell phones and eliminating bail for accused who use guns while committing a
crime.
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contact: |
250 213-3602 |
Cindy Rose 250 356-6961 |
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