We need a plan to stop gang violence: Former Minister of Public Safety
Posted January 23, 2018 10:40 pm.
Last Updated January 23, 2018 10:41 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – A former superintendent with the Vancouver Police Department says shootings involving innocent people- like the one that killed a 15-year-old boy more than a week ago- will continue, unless proactive steps are taken.
Kash Heed, who’s also a former Minister of Public Safety, says gang violence and gunplay have been an ongoing issue for almost 20 years, and initiatives to curb the violence have had limited success.
“These people are involved in drugs, that’s the quantity they use to make money. They have a bravado attitude, they have easy access to firearms,” he says.
Heed is renewing his calls for a comprehensive plan to tackle gang violence.
“Politicians have talked about it, law enforcement officials have talked about it, but no one has turned those words into action,” he says “And unfortunately this is the result of that inaction by these officials.”
Heed says a comprehensive plan involves suppression, intervention, and prevention. He explains there needs to be an intervention and suppression of gang activity and disputes, while young people are prevented from joining gangs and filling the voids left behind by gang members who have been arrested or killed.
At a press conference earlier this week, VPD Chief Constable Adam Palmer said there’s been an uptick in gang violence in Vancouver not seen in 10 years.
