Prince George, B.C. – The Uniformed Gang Task force was busy throughout Prince George on the weekend. The team, from the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit out of the lower mainland, is  made up of officers from the RCMP, Municipal and Transit Police, were in town to share information on gang activity, make the public aware of the efforts to reduce gang activity, and to let the gangs and their members know, the Task Force knows who they are and is watching them.

 

While the UGTF made some stops on Thursday night, they invited members of the media to ride with them on the weekend as they made more stops.

 

Opinion 250 was on board Friday night, and it was a busy evening:

 

6:28 p.m.-           Outside the RCMP detachment three suburbans are ready to roll. Team leader, Sergeant Mark Jordan isn’t about to waste any time, “Let’s go, we have a lot of high priced wages standing around here doing nothing” and with that the suburbans are loaded and on the road. 

6:35 p.m.- pull into a parking lot near an apartment building on 15^th Avenue. Sgt Jordan explains the plan. “We have information of some possible gang members living here, so we are going to approach the apartment, if they agree to let us come in and look around, we will do a search.” The officers head to the apartment building, their plan clear that there will be some who will provide back up. Members of the media are told to wait.

6:50 p.m. – Media are told there has been some success,  the officers have discovered some drugs and weapons in the apartment. The occupants agree to let the team search their vehicle.

The vehicle is not the kind that has been associated with gang use, it is not a high end Cadillac, not a BMW, not even new, it is, what Constable Greg Tiernan calls “ a dial a dope” vehicle. Tiernan starts searching the vehicle, and he’s an expert at this. He has had special training under the Canada Border Services so he knows what to look for when it comes to spotting something unusual that leads to discovering a secret compartment. “When you find a secret compartment it really makes you feel good allright” says Ternan “These guys may have had their vehicle searched 15 other times thinking this compartment will never be found, so when you find one, yeah, it makes you feel good.”

 

Sergeant Shinder Kirk says there is one “shop” in the lower mainland that specializes in producing hidden compartments for vehicles. “There are some very sophisticated access codes, some require a sequence of knob turning. There was one I saw that wouldn’t open until you did the sequence of knob turning followed by knocking on the dash a certain number of times. We found a sledge hammer opened it right away and there was a hand gun inside.”

 

The search of the vehicle turns up one bud of marijuana, and something that looks like a tent pole. Upon further examination, the “pole” came apart, revealing a home made spear.

 

Back in the nearby parking lot, officers spread out the items found in the search of the apartment and the vehicle: 12 gauge shot gun shells, a machete, a bag full of ecstasy pills, a flap of cocaine, a digital weigh scale, some bear spray. “In my experience, I would say we have come across enough materials here to say these people were in possession  of drugs for the purpose of trafficking” says Sergeant Jordan. The officers take the time to bag the evidence, and prepare for the next stop.

“We are one for one” says Sgt Jordan who adds the success at this stop is the result of shared information between policing units “Because of that shared information we know one of the people here (in this apartment building) has   links with organized crime in the lower mainland.”

 

Everyone is back in the suburbans, and it’s off to stop number 2, the Renegades Clubhouse.

 

7:59- The Renegades Clubhouse . Although the sign on the gate across the driveway says “ Ring Doorbell” no one answers. Officers look over the property, front and back, there is nothing to suggest there is anyone inside.   Meantime, neighbours are passing by and a woman in a vehicle turns to the officers and gives them the “thumbs up”. 

 

8:20 pm. - west side of Prince George, the suburbans roll into a school parking lot, just two blocks away from where an alleged gang member has a home. This person is out on bail on weapons charges, and there are curfew conditions to that bail. While there are still a couple of hours before that curfew runs out, officers decide they will pay a visit, just to let the person know the gang task force is in town and has the person on their radar. Two officers do a drive by to scope out the house. They return to say there are two people in the home, there is a vehicle parked in the back laneway. Officers agree to have some knock on the front door, while the others will watch the back.

 

Upon arrival, the vehicle in the back is running, and two people are preparing to leave the area. Officers block the truck from leaving and have a chat with the two. They are not the subject of this visit, but  tell officers the person they want to talk with will be back   later. (photo at left)

 

A neighbour approaches   Sergeant Shinder Kirk to find out what’s going on. “We are the Uniformed Gang Task Force out of the lower mainland” explains Sgt Kirk. The woman, new to Prince George says she has lived in some of the more troubled areas of the lower mainland and is happy to see police doing what they can to remove this element from her new neighbourhood. “I have two little children” she explains “So if you can get the gang guys out of here, I’m really glad to hear that.”

 

She is not the only one who is happy to see the officers on site. 

 

At the school yard 4 pre-teens approach the officers . With slurpees in hand, they talk with Sergeant Kirk about how they know how not to get involved with gangs from lessons learned in school “Sometime they will give you gifts or money and say you can pay them back” says one 12 year old, “but they never really let you pay them back” he adds.   When asked what they think about the Uniformed Gang Task force being in town, all four say “ it’s cool.”

 

 

The positive response was not exhibited at the next stop, a local neighbourhood pub.   Sergeant Jordan entered first to ask the manager if his team can enter and check to see if there are any gang members present who police would then ask to leave.   This type of approach is not unlike a program called “Bar Watch” in the lower mainland. In essence, the restaurants and bars agree to have police enter the premises to keep their businesses free of gang activity, which can lead to violence. In this case, the manager says no, she worries about the negative impact on her business.

 

 Outside, officers decide to run a few licence plates. Sure enough, there is someone in the pub who is wanted on a B.C. warrant. Not for gang activity, but for multiple impaired driving charges. Now the situation is different, and officers again approach the manager, this time to tell her they are there to make an arrest. The subject is arrested without incident.

 

It is after 10:00 p.m. the officers decide they will make one more stop, back to the home of the suspected gang member to see if he has in fact come home in time for his curfew. Then they will had back to the office to do up the necessary paperwork.

 

Was the night a success? “I would say it was very productive” says Sergeant Shinder Kirk, “We got some drugs and weapons off the streets and we had some positive interaction with the public.”

 

One thing is certain……. they will be back.