GUN-TOTING GANGS FACE NEW COP SQUAD

A new, 20-member Vancouver police squad aimed at gangsters with guns
started working last night.

Vancouver has seen two murders and three gang-related shootings in
recent weeks.

The latest was at about 9 p.m. Tuesday, when a 26-year-old man was
shot three times and left bleeding on the sidewalk at Cambie and West
Hastings. The victim is known to police and despite his serious
wounds he is not co-operating with investigators.

Police say it's a gang- and drug-related hit.

Supt. Kash Heed says the violence has got to stop.

"Research and our experience shows that the police can have a
deterrent effect on violence when they target suspicious individuals
and activities," he said. "This initiative will target players
involved in gang behaviour and gunplay, and is designed to
significantly reduce the frequency of violence in our city."

Borrowing a phrase from U.S. President George W. Bush, Heed described
the initiative as a "surge and purge."

"What we are saying is when you do come into Vancouver, you will
behave," he said.

The new squad is modelled after the department's firearms
interdiction team and is made up of officers with gang experience.

It will "aggressively" go after gangsters from all racial
backgrounds, Heed said.

He said officers will "maximize" vehicle checks and field
interrogations and use intelligence to target specific people and places.

He expects to see an increase in the number of weapons seized and a
decrease in gun violence.

Police are currently charting a spike in gang- and gun-related
violence in Vancouver, Heed said.

"I think we have been fortunate that more innocent people have not
been harmed," he said.