ALBERTA GANG
REDUCTION STRATEGY
Alberta Association of Police Governance
Lethbridge, Alberta
April 30, 2011
Darren Caul, Director
Overview
• Gangs as Criminal Organizations
• Statistical Overview
• Alberta Gang Reduction Strategy
•
•
•
•
Awareness
Prevention
Intervention
Enforcement
• Community Engagement
Gangs as Criminal
Organizations
What is a Gang?
• A group of people, who through the
organization, formation or establishment of an
assemblage, share a common identity.
• Section 467.1(1) of the Criminal Code defines a
"criminal organization“, however organized, as:
Three or more persons… involved in the
commission of one or more serious offences,
that would likely result in the direct or indirect
receipt of a material benefit…
Criminal Organizations
• Size, structure, membership and rules vary.
• Some, such as Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs (OMG)
are highly structured and sophisticated:
I. membership in “chapters” throughout the world;
II. strict written rules of conduct; and
III. (some) “legitimized” business activities.
• Others, such as youth / street gangs, may be
loosely organized in structure and location, fluid
in membership and opportunistic in their criminal
activities.
Violence and Intimidation
Gangs use violence to intimidate other gang
members, communities, police and officials.
• Violence is unpredictable
and has sometimes claimed
innocent victims.
• Gangs have been
responsible for many driveby shootings and stabbings.
Diverse Criminal Activities
Trafficking of illegal drugs is the principal type
of criminal activity undertaken by gangs.
• Gangs also involved in
extortion, money laundering,
financial / identity theft crimes,
(i.e.: skimming PIN numbers).
• Gangs attempting to infiltrate
legitimate private and
government information
systems to steal personal data.
• Involvement in human
trafficking is on the rise.
Statistical Overview
Canada / U.S. Comparison
Canada
• Approx. 900 gangs (2008)
United States
• Approx. 20,000 gangs
• Approx. 11K members (2006) • Approx. 1M members
• 1 member / 2,836 citizens
• 1 member / 309 citizens
• 69,299 police
• 883,600 police (2008)*
• 1 officer / 492 citizens
• 1 officer / 353 citizens
Sources: Statistics Canada; National Gang Threat Assessment (2009) ; CISC Situational Overview of
Canada Street Gangs (2009); CISC (2010) U.S. Census Bureau; US Bureau of Labour Statistics
Homicide Rates
(Canada)
Homicide
Gang-Motivated
• 610 homicides (2009)
• 124 gang homicides (2009)
• Firearm used 30%
• Firearm used 75% (2008)
(1997 to 2008)
• Clearance Rate=80%
(2006)
Average Age:
Victim = 35
Accused = 30
• Clearance Rate=45%
(2006)
Average Age:
Victim = 28
Accused = 23
Homicide Rate
Decreasing since
mid-1970s
Gang-Motivated
Homicides Increasing
since 1991
http://www.statcan.gc.ca
Number of Gang-Motivated Homicides in
Alberta (1999-2009)
40
35
30
23
22
20
20
15
13
10
4
9
5
8
4
0
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
http://www.statcan.gc.ca
2009
Gang crime affects
all Albertans!
Gang-Motivated Crime is
Expensive!
• Drain on emergency services.
• Drain on the health care system.
• Decline of property value.
• Increased taxes and insurance.
• Drain on the justice system.
 Gang investigations and prosecutions are extremely
complex and expensive.
 One gang related homicide investigation can cost millions.
Gang-Motivated Crime is
Expensive!
• Loved ones injured or killed.
• Increased crime and fear of crime.
• Creates neighbourhood disorder.
• Lost potential of young people.
Most disturbing are the human and social costs
resulting from the criminal and exploitive
activities of gangs which often target young and
vulnerable populations.
Cost of Incarceration
• $135,870 to incarcerate
an offender in a maximum
security institution.
• $87,498 in a medium
security institution.
A four-year university degree costs less
than incarceration for one offender for
one year.
Source: http://www.csc-scc.gc.ca
Incarceration Rate / 100,000 adults (2009)
800
700
600
500
U.S.
U.K.
Australia
Canada
France
Germany
Japan
400
300
200
100
0
- http://www.prisonstudies.org/
Alberta Gang Reduction
Strategy (AGRS)
Why was the AGRS developed?
• “Keeping Communities Safe” Task Force
Report (2007) called for action on gangrelated crime
• An important component of the Alberta’s
Crime Prevention Framework
• Emerging gang violence in Calgary,
Edmonton and Hobbema (2008)
How was the AGRS developed?
1. Cross-Ministry
Collaboration
2. Consultations
and Summit
3. Logic Model
Process
Deliverables:
Deliverables:
Deliverable:
• Ideas for consideration
• Logic Models
• What Was Heard Report
• Discussion Guide
• Alberta Gang Reduction
Strategy
What is the AGRS?
• GoA’s “comprehensive blueprint for
action on gangs and gang violence.”
• Mission: To suppress gang activity and
reduce the influence of gangs in Alberta
by working with community partners to
promote strong and vibrant communities
10 Strategic Directions + 28 Actions
Two Goals
Goals of the AGRS
GOAL 1: Reduce gang-related crime and
violence in Alberta.
GOAL 2: Strengthen ongoing efforts to
develop an integrated, comprehensive, and
sustainable approach to gang suppression.
Balanced approach of awareness; prevention;
intervention; and enforcement.
Awareness
Strategic Direction 1: Build community capacity
through increased public awareness about issues
related to gang activity.
Education & Awareness Actions
• Deglamorize the gang lifestyle and provide
young people / parents with meaningful
information.
• Educate young people / parents / other
meaningful adults about risk/protective factors.
• Reduce influence of gangs on individuals /
communities through a continuous, balanced
approach that promotes / publicizes existing
prevention and intervention programs.
Action to Date and Next Steps
• Research, including focus groups and survey, to
determine effective means and messages for
campaign.
• Province-wide, multi-year education and
awareness campaign to be launched summer
2011.
Prevention
Strategic Direction 2: Support prevention and early
intervention programs that address risk factors to
dissuade young people from joining gangs.
Prevention Actions
• Increase opportunities to provide training and
alternatives to gang involvement for children and
at-risk youth through the use of schools and
community centres.
• Support sustainability of existing cross-ministry
initiatives to support early childhood development
for children <7 yrs.
• Determine how School Resource Officers can
best be used to reduce the ability of gangs to
recruit young people.
Prevention: Action to Date
• Through Safe Communities Innovation Fund
(SCIF), $8.2M granted to support 10 community
projects focused on gangs.
• Through Civil Forfeiture Office (CFO), $500k
granted (Dec. 2010) to support 12 projects
focused on youth at-risk of gang recruitment.
“Crime is more likely to occur when an
individual’s bond to society is attenuated.”
Source: The Annuals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 602, p. 22
Intervention
Strategic Direction 3: Develop exit strategies to
help those who wish to leave the gang lifestyle.
Intervention Actions
• Design and implement intervention programs for
gang members and potential gang members in
communities.
• Support the development of local and provincial
intervention strategies that reduce Aboriginal
peoples’ involvement in gangs.
• Develop exit strategies in both adult and youth
correctional institutions.
• Expand intervention programs for individuals
under court-ordered community supervision.
Intervention: Action to Date
• Through Civil Forfeiture Office (CFO), >$300k
granted to support gang intervention projects,
including EPS “Plan B” and CPS “YARD”.
Enforcement
Strategic Direction 4: Continue to promote
integration among specialized law enforcement
units and encourage close working relationships
with community stakeholders.
Enforcement Actions
• Ensure sufficient surveillance capacity exists to
monitor certain forms of gang activity.
 Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams (ALERT)
 Safer Communities and Neighbourhoods (SCAN) Units
• Establish common criteria (definitions) to ensure
a consistent approach to prioritizing gang targets
among law enforcement agencies in Alberta.
• Expand use of civil forfeiture legislation and
criminal forfeiture process.
Enforcement: Action to Date
• Increased personnel at ALERT from 219
to 396 (2008-10).
• In 2009-10, ALERT took over $100M
worth of drugs off the streets of Alberta;
charges laid against 853 people.
• Added 300 new frontline police officers.
Legislation: Action to Date
Safer Communities and Neighbourhoods Act
• Supports community to target and shutdown properties
Mandatory Reporting of Gunshot Stab Wound Act
• Requires health care facilities and providers to report
gun shots and stab wounds to police
Amendments to the Gaming and Liquor Act
• Enables police to remove gang members from licensed
premises
Body Armour Control Act
• Prohibits possession of body armour without permit
Amendments to Traffic Safety Act
• Prohibits “aftermarket” armoured vehicles
Victims Restitution & Compensation
Payment Act (April 2010)
Permits province to:
• seize instruments of crime or any property used to
commit a crime; and
• seize property & profits gained from unlawful acts.
To date, >$22M gross seized
including 173 dealer cars and
50 grow houses = $2.2M net.
Net proceeds fund victim services and
crime prevention.
Community Engagement:
Get Informed! Get Involved!
For those actively engaged in reducing
gangs and gang crime in Alberta, a virtual
community was established at:
http://agrs.justice.alberta.ca/
Website Includes:
• videos
• discussion forums
• virtual resource library
• blog
• polls
• live training webcasts
Concluding Remarks
1. Gang crime and violence is a growing problem in Canada.
2. Additional resources and significant legislation continues
to unfold in Alberta to suppress gangs.
3. Enforcement and incarceration, alone, is not the answer.
4. Alberta Gang Strategy reflects a balanced approach of
awareness, prevention, intervention and enforcement.
5. Growing body of literature about the risk factors leading
young people into gangs; prevention and intervention
efforts are equally critical, at this time.
6. Gang crime is costly. It affects all Albertans.
7. Solutions require collaboration among police, government
and communities.
Thank You!
Darren Caul
Director, Alberta Gang Reduction Strategy
Email: darren.caul@gov.ab.ca
Tel:
780.643.1347
Website: http://agrs.justice.alberta.ca/