I am glad to see that government has finally started to address the problem.
Not sure their plan will have enough teeth to actually curve much of the problems

I believe the only way to reduce crime is to make the cost of doing the crime higher then the profit of the crime.

Currently in our society getting a criminal record on your file is the only real cost of conviction. Plus perhaps a little jail time where you get free meals,watch TV, work on continuing education, etc
Yes our jails are a joke people actually commit crimes to go to jail for the winter!
Once you have a criminal record, adding more to it means nothing. Sentences are generally short with one day and time severed, so around and around the system these criminals go, just a small cost of doing business no big deal. Many of them use the time in prison to network and create even more powerful gangs.
Police are under pressure from society to get these criminals off the streets, yet when they do arrest someone the crown many time puts them right back out with in hours.
I believe we need to make our prisons actually places that no one ever wants to go.
Perhaps a prison of wall tents in Mackenzie as on person suggested on another post would work?
Seems to work in Arizona except they are in 120 degree heat, wear pink uniforms, and work on chain gangs
If prisons are too over crowded perhaps it is time to start ridding those prisoners that we would not want as part of society. Really does anyone think Clifford Olson should ever be released from prison?
I say No, so why are we paying to keep him alive and imprisoned?
If one continues to rap, murder, or steel are they really deserving to be part of our society and have as a neighbor?
Yes I agree we need to get tough on crime, but really tough on crime not just add some more police, create some new task forces, maybe build a new state of the art luxury prison!
Not enough IMO

Is it just a coincidence that all this hoopla about law and order is coming just three months before the next Provincial Election. I think not.

People in this town and this Province have been after the Government to do something about crime and punishment for the last 10 to 15 years.

For these politicians to come forward 3 months before an election and make like they will be doing everything possible to solve this problem is an insult to Citizens.

We need to clean up the gangs, and criminals, however we also have to clean up the Justice system and the politicians who allowed this problem to get out of hand in the first place.

We didnt get where we are today by accident, it is a direct result of Politicians, and the system. The system is now an absolute failure.

Hopefully the momentum started now will carry on after the election, however I dont have a lot of faith in the Government at this time.

If there were no demand for drugs and illegal activity, there would be no profit to fuel the gangs.

Anyone who has bought stolen items, or bought drugs should not complain or be surprised at what is going on.

Start by thanking your local drug addict.

It is about time that governments start fighting crime and stop harassing the legal firearms owners.

I am still concerned that the law biding firearms owners will end up with an increased burden of ownership.

"Van Dongan says the gang unit will assist in drug investigations also" How many officers are currently on the drug squad? Are we just going to rename them the gang squad for political purposes?

All this means is that they will be re deploying the same scarce amount we now have working on the streets.

You know they won't be coming from regina or police colleges because they will be rookies..and too green to deal with gangs.

Experience is needed and the only ones that have that will have to be taken from general duty ranks of police departments, leaving less officers to do the daily work...thus creating more pressures...like....an increase in stolen vehicles, or more property crimes...

If you haven't read the latest, all of the police forces are dangerously understaffed. They are top heavy in management who do not even venture out of an office.

The RCMP are now even promising to prospective recruits that if you are from the lower mainland, join up, pass depot, then you can be posted back to the lower mainland. Out of the whole slew of cadets to be graduated in the future, BC wants 800, but will they get them? Who knows.
Besides a new member is virtually non existent value wise to any kind of specialized unit until they get at least 5 years experieince under their belts.

SO, redeploying is a better word for it, not hiring.

Very good points by Palopu and Imorg both.
There IS an election coming and anyone who believes a word of what Campbell and his gang are telling us at this time needs their head examined.
Put your bullshit protectors on because the next 3 months will be a real treat.
Campbell,vanDongen,Oppal,..they are all part of the problem,not the solution, and if it wasn't for the election coming,nothing would change.
This is smoke and mirrors and not much else.
Campbell has had 2 terms to actually do something but instead,he has made it worse by allowing the gangs to grow and prosper.
Much of this happened under his watch and he and his government are in fact responsible for much of it.
The cops have been begging for more cops and more money for the tools to fight crime, but nobody has been listening.
We have watched criminals walk in and out of our courtrooms like they were on vaction.
We have seen people who have actually killed someone get sent home to mummy and daddy far too many times.
We have seen judges who appear to make up thier own rules as they go along.
We have seen them interpret the laws as they see fit, according to the little voices in their heads,and we have seen the Campbell government sit back and say nothing when the police and crown prosecutors have been screaming blue murder for someone to do something.
I have no reason to believe the provincial government will start doing something now other than make a lot of noise.
If Campbell really cared,people like Oppal,van Dongen,and a host of others who have been sitting back picking their noses would be long gone.
So now we are supposed to vote for these people?

OK lets get Mr Bell off of the home page here. The gag order is on no point in letting the Liberals brag about thier so called achievments and photo ops

Another "nice" news story,but how many times have we heard this one before.Must be an election coming up soon.War on drugs and illegal guns...will not work unless the jails are a place that criminals do not want to go to. Fenceman,instead of Mackenzie,why don't we build a tent city beside your house.

Do something!

two or three nice looking guns on the table.....probably be a scuffle who gets first dibs on them after they're put in the evidence room.

Wonder who will scuffle for the stuff in the bags??

As long as gang members shoot each other I have no problems.