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HomeNewsPolice Unite To Enhance Capacity To Deal With Guns And Gangs

Police Unite To Enhance Capacity To Deal With Guns And Gangs

KAWARTHA LAKES-Law enforcement agencies say they are working together to enhance their capacity to implement a Guns and Gangs Enforcement Strategy across Ontario.

An Ontario Provincial Police (OPP)-led Guns and Gangs Joint-Forces Operation (JFO) is expected to increase intelligence sharing and provide additional enforcement tools through a $75.1-million investment announced last fall by the Ontario government.

“These enhancements better position the OPP, our law enforcement partners and justice sector agencies across Ontario to reduce the harms caused by guns and gangs in our communities. We will work relentlessly as one team to protect the safety and security of our citizens and visitors. The criminals are on notice – gangs, guns and all of the illegal activities that follow them are not welcome in our communities.” said OPP Commissioner Thomas Carrique

The JFO is meant to enable law enforcement partners to better collaborate to enhance public safety and effectively disrupt gang networks and their associated criminal activities. The Guns and Gangs JFO consists of the following police services: Anishinabek Police Service; Barrie Police Service; Brantford Police Service; Cornwall Police Service; Halton Regional Police Service; Hamilton Police Service; Kingston Police; London Police Service; Niagara Regional Police Service; Nishnawbe-Aski Police Service; North Bay Police Service; Ottawa Police Service; Peel Regional Police; Royal Canadian Mounted Police; Sudbury Police Service; Sûreté du Québec; Timmins Police Service; Toronto Police Service; Waterloo Regional Police Service; Windsor Police Service; and York Regional Police.

In addition to the Guns and Gangs JFO, the OPP-led Provincial Weapons Enforcement Unit (PWEU) has been enhanced to better support specialized gun and gang investigations with the addition of new partners representing the Akwesasne Mohawk Police Service, Cornwall Police Service, Hamilton Police Service and Kingston Police to join the already existing PWEU partners – Durham Regional Police Service, London Police Service, Niagara Regional Police Service, Ottawa Police Service, Peel Regional Police, Windsor Police Service, and York Regional Police. Further, the United States Homeland Security Investigations-led Border Enforcement Security Task Force (BEST) will gain additional positions, increasing the police presence at critical points of entry to curtail the flow of illegal firearms entering Ontario.

Police say collecting and sharing of information is vital to address public safety risks posed by guns and gangs in Ontario. The Guns and Gangs Enforcement Strategy includes developing a Joint Analytical Working Group consisting of personnel from participating law enforcement agencies and the Criminal Intelligence Service Ontario (CISO) who will prioritize the gathering, analyzing and sharing of intelligence relating to gun and gang criminality and violence.

In 2021 alone the OPP alone seized 879 firearms from the communities it serves.

“There is no place for gun and gang violence in Ontario. Our government’s investment of more than $75 million will provide law enforcement with the tools necessary to keep Ontario communities safe by enhancing investigative supports, increasing collaboration and curbing the flow of illegal handguns coming into the province from the U.S. We are grateful to our frontline officers and justice sector partners, who work tirelessly to keep us safe and for their continued effort to tackle illegal activity across the province.” – Hon. Michael Kerzner, Solicitor General

Officials say illicit drugs continue to be the primary commodity through which gangs generate profit by dominating street-level sales. In an effort to maintain public safety and have an impact on public health the OPP says it is aggressively investigating drug trafficking and any resulting deaths, focusing on the trafficker.

According to police, community members are often the best resource for investigations. If you have any information or concerns regarding illegal firearms or gang activity in your community, call your police of jurisdiction or, to remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or submit a tip online.

 

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Pamela Vanmeer
Pamela Vanmeerhttps://www.kawartha411.ca/
Pamela VanMeer is a two time winner of the prestigious Radio Television Digital News Association (RTDNA) Award. Her investigative reports on abuse in Long Term Care Homes garnered international attention for the issue and won the Ron Laidlaw Award. She is a former reporter and anchor at CHEX News, now Global Peterborough and helped launch the New CHEX Daily, a daily half hour talk show. While at CHCH News in Hamilton she covered some of the biggest news stories of the day.

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