The City of Surrey is getting millions of federal dollars for its efforts to try and crack down on gang violence.
Ottawa is pledging $7.5 million over five years for the Surrey Anti-gang Family Empowerment (SAFE) Program.
The program is intended to provide alternatives for youth to joining gangs, help them develop positive social skills and help restore positive relationships with their parents and communities.
Federal Minister of Border Security and Organized Crime Reduction Bill Blair said the money comes at a time when Canada’s homicide rate has climbed to its highest rate in a decade, driven in part by a surge in gang crime.
“Behind these statistics is the reality that lives and communities are changed forever. Families have lost loved ones and a community has lost its confidence because of violence taking place,” he said.
“No one should live in fear of gun and gang violence, and no one should feel that they have no choice but to join a gang. And that sad reality is what many of our young people are facing and they are vulnerable to being lured into a gang world as they seek out recognition and a sense of self-worth.”
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Surrey Mayor Doug McCallum lauded the new funding, saying it will be used to target more than 4,000 young people between the ages of 13 and 17.
“This is a start of a very big impact,” he said.
“Tie it in with other things, that we’re putting pressure through BarWatch in Surrey now on the gangs, and I think you’re going to see other programs come forward that we’re going to attack it.”
Anti-gang community group Wake Up Surrey called the funding a positive step but said it is just a fraction of the $32.5 million Surrey has requested in crime funding from Ottawa to address the city’s escalating gang problems.