Almost two months after the provincial government announced an infusion of $23 million to help fight gang violence in Surrey, the city and RCMP say they have something to show for it.
Five hundred firearms and 3,000 rounds of ammunition have been turned over to Surrey RCMP with another 50 unwanted firearms relinquished to police.
They say Surrey’s purchase of 75 more cameras to monitor street-level violence is in progress, with installation anticipated in four to six months.
The Surrey Crown counsel has also received two full-time prosecutors and a paralegal dedicated to prioritizing cases linked to guns and gangs.
Development of a gang-exit pilot project is underway, which will formalize and support ongoing efforts by police to help gang members and associates who want to leave gang life.
Police say local efforts to engage and inform parents and community members also continue, with Surrey RCMP announcing the Surrey Help Line for Parents, which they’re encouraged to call if they believe their child is involved or at risk of becoming involved in criminal activity.
Investigators also made a number of arrests in connection with gun and gang-related offences since April:
- On April 22 in Langley, an execution of a search warrant resulted in the seizure of guns, ammunition, a crossbow, various drugs and cash, as well as two arrests.
- On April 25 in Williams Lake, a gun seizure and an arrest were carried out after shots were fired at the former residence of a person who claimed to be a local gang member.
- On May 4 in Prince George, four arrests and charges against one person were laid following an April 29 targeted shooting in a parking lot near the downtown core.
- On May 17, investigators carried out seven arrests following simultaneous searches of five North Surrey properties related to a dial-a-dope investigation.
- On May 19, police arrested five men allegedly linked to a Coquitlam-area drug trafficking organization and seized thousands of dollars in currency, property, and drugs including cocaine and MDMA.
- On May 25, eight arrests at multiple locations in Surrey took placve, following an investigation begun in 2015 into a dial-a-dope trafficking operation in Surrey and Richmond.
- On May 27, investigators carried out multiple arrests and the seizure of millions of dollars’ worth of illegal drugs in the Lower Mainland and Northern B.C.
- On May 28, arrests made related to the Wolfpack, a violent organized crime group, accompanied by a significant seizure of drugs, a gun and $25,000 cash from a Surrey residence.
- On May 31, a charge was approved against two individuals linked to an alleged clandestine drug lab in White Rock, where police seized firearms, fentanyl, other drugs and cash.
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