Ahead of a fall fair that attracts tens of thousands, authorities in Hamilton, Ont., are hoping an operational plan targeting “swarming” will quell a trend in youth violence that’s plagued some outdoor events in southern Ontario this past summer.
Const. Indy Bharaj says Hamilton police have been working with organizers of the Rockton World’s Fair to ensure an “out of the ordinary” crowding tactic will not be a part of the Thanksgiving long weekend.
The Winona Peach Festival, Festival of Friends in Gage Park, the Binbrook Fair and the Ancaster Fair are just some events that have seen reported swarming incidents in recent months.
“Essentially, they’re swarming victims and taking them of their property,” Bharaj explained.
“Be it by intimidation or by overwhelming them with intimidation, surrounding them and physically assaulting them.”
Incidents at Ancaster’s event on a Saturday night in late September spurred on a public advisory from police after as many as 100 organized youths were alleged to have descended to the space to prey on young victims.
Bharaj said officers checked out numerous complaints that night but had little chance to take action as groups quickly split up before police and security arrived to investigate.
The most concerning of the incidents was a young male losing consciousness after an attack and waking up to find his shoes had been stolen before being taken to hospital by paramedics.
In a similar occurrence, a victim said he was surrounded by seven individuals attempting to steal his sweater. He was lucky enough to get away without losing any property or suffering injuries.
Another victim alleged she was trying to flee two females who continually attempted to engage her in a verbal argument.
When she didn’t engage them, the aggressors got her to the ground by pulling her hair and throwing multiple punches. The victim was able to free herself and run to safety.
According to Bharaj, the reported incidents at the fairs happened when there was little daylight.
After an attack, suspects typically scattered with some even going as far as to change clothes to confuse their identity.
“Given that these incidents unfold rapidly and violently, and considering the shock that’s experienced by the victims, providing an accurate description of the assailants proves to be almost nearly impossible,” Bharaj said.
He said all of the recorded incidents so far involve teens against teens, but local investigators believe they are “under-reported.”
So far, no arrests have been made in any of the attacks.
An expert on issues related to children, youth and families in the justice system said that typically, a teen in a group setting is more likely to misbehave than when on their own.
Nick Bala, a professor at the Faculty of Law at Queen’s University, said social media tends to aggravate conduct by not only providing an avenue to create an assembly but also offering a platform to share exploits.
“An incident that in the past might involve four or five young people, all of a sudden brings 50 young people there, and that’s because of social media, sending emails or messaging,” Bala explained.
Toronto police believe it was social media that brought together participants in a high-profile swarming incident downtown that ended with the fatal stabbing of a 59-year-old last December.
Investigators characterized that episode as “swarming-type behaviour” from eight girls who met online and came from different parts of the city.
The teenage girls, aged between 13 and 16 years old, have all been accused of second-degree murder.
Bala believes Hamilton police’s move to be proactive and reach out to event organizers in advance is a good idea.
“Making sure there are police officers around visible to young offenders, and for that matter adults, often crime can be deterred that way, especially youth crime,” according to Bala.
Bharaj said a larger police presence and increase in private security is a given at Rockton’s event this weekend.
Some tactics being considered are altering the deployment of officers, adding a mounted unit, and even negotiating with organizers to move up the start times of the evening demolition derbies.
“A lot of these incidents seem to occur when it does get dark, so we’ve looked at the possibility of maybe having the derby happen a little bit earlier so that festivalgoers can experience that and not worry about being victimized,” Bharaj said.