Gang task force hits Victoria

VICTORIA – There’s a new team of police officers patrolling the Victoria streets – members of the Combined Forces Special Unit Gang Task Force. And they are on the hunt.

“We know that no community in British Columbia is immune from the presence of gang members or traditional organized crime”, says Sgt. Shinder Kirk “There could be the possibility that individuals, either from other parts of the island or certainly from the mainland, are here in this community that want to enjoy themselves, but are also associated to, or involved in the criminal lifestyle”.

As /A\ News follows the gang task force to several bars, a number of people are asked to leave.

The task force says the Bar Watch program on the lower mainland is displacing what it calls “people of interest” and visits to cities like Victoria are important.

Within minutes of our camera riding with the patrol leader, he identifies and pulls over a “person of high interest”.

Using sophisticated tools and scopes, the task force meticulously searches the car uncovering secret departments.

They arrest the driver and say he will be charged with possession of the drugs GHB and crystal meth.

This is the third year the task force has worked with Victoria, sharing training and intelligence on gangs with Victoria officers.

The department says the expertise is paying off, so when gang members do show up they will quickly be shown the door.

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