A month-long initiative by the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit of British Columbia (CFSEU-BC) in collaboration with Surrey RCMP, Langley RCMP and Burnaby RCMP resulted in the seizure of eight firearms, two converted airsoft firearms (capable of firing live ammunition), and 12 airsoft firearms/replicas, besides 87 other weapons such as knives, bear spray, brass knuckles, batons, crossbow, combat hatchets and axes.
Police also seized:
* 2.58 kg of suspected illicit substances including fentanyl, cocaine, and methamphetamine, of which, the .479kg of suspected fentanyl is equivalent to 31,135 lethal doses
* $50,561 Canadian cash
* five vehicles
In total, CFSEU-BC’s Uniform Gang Enforcement Team (UGET) created 213 files, of which 40 involve criminal and provincial investigations and charges.
In addition, referrals were made to the CFSEU-BC Gang Intervention and Exiting program of individuals wanting to exit the gang lifestyle.
“Everyone knows that crime and those perpetrating it are not bound by municipal borders. It is critical that CFSEU-BC leverage its ability as a provincial agency to coordinate with our partners to ensure that we are collectively able to disrupt and impact those who are choosing to engage gang-related crime,” said Superintendent Alison Laurin, CFSEU-BC’s Deputy Operations Support Officer, on Thursday.
“Working with our partners across the province, we will continue to target those who pose the highest risk to public safety and hold them accountable.”
The initiative took place in late February and March in an effort to reduce opportunities for gang violence in identified high-risk place and times. Using past crime data as a guide to where to most effectively deploy officers, the objective was to mitigate, disrupt, and suppress violence through proactive and high visibility enforcement.
The CFSEU-BC and its partner police agencies in the province have embarked on similar proactive initiatives in the past using historical gang violence trends to inform strategic deployment into identified locations and individuals that pose a threat to public safety due to gang-related criminal and violent activity.
CFSEU-BC worked with its partners in Surrey, Langley, and Burnaby, enhancing patrols and spending time along high-traffic corridors in these jurisdictions to not only disrupt gang activity, but also to provide more opportunities for the interdiction of illegal weapons and commodities.
Using information from previous gang-related violent events, the CFSEU-BC’s UGET was deployed into identified areas during specific times of the day and worked with officers from the Surrey RCMP Gang Enforcement Team, Burnaby Gang Enforcement Team and Langley RCMP Project Team to enhance their respective suppression and enforcement efforts.
