THE WORST POSSIBLE PLACE TO BE

Abbotsford: "... the worst possible place to be a gangster."

What a great quote from Police Chief Bob Rich.

And it's happening, with a volley of direct hits the Abbotsford Police
and combined enforcement unit have scored on the Red Scorpions and UN
gangs in the past couple of weeks.

[name redacted] and four others are in jail awaiting trial on a multitude
of drug charges after an undercover sting operation. And eight more
people with ties to the Scorpions went down in raids Wednesday and
Thursday nights.

It must be getting awfully uncomfortable to be associated with either
gang these days.

And it's going to get worse, if Rich has his way. He recently
announced his intention to form a special police unit, tasked to focus
on gang violence.

Other than $100,000 in start-up costs for some equipment, he isn't
even asking for more officers and money. He'll do it with the troops
and budget available next year.

To citizens just as weary of another tax hike as they are of a litany
of gang-related mayhem, this is looking good.

Here's hoping the new team will be wildly successful.

The profile and presence that gangs have achieved in this city in a
relatively short time is way beyond tolerable.

But the pressure is on, and Rich's new squad can do much to ramp up
the heat.

Cockroaches don't like bright light, and gangsters don't like the
glare of police attention. So crank it up.

Follow these guys constantly, wherever they go. To the bars. To the
gyms. To the damned loo, if need be.

If clubs cater to gangsters, they ought to find themselves having
difficulty renewing their business licences.

Inform every business owner and merchant who they're dealing with, and
encourage them to stop. The only service the gangsters should be able
to get are directions out of town. Sit outside their homes. Take
pictures and video. Do the same for their buddies, and girlfriends.
Make it a total pain in the butt to be around one of these guys.

Pull over their vehicles for the slightest infraction.

Paper their SUVs with traffic tickets.

Put their cars on the hook of a tow truck at every
opportunity.

If they look the wrong way, search them. If they so much as think
about being less than co-operative, arrest them. The main exercise
these people should be getting is looking over their shoulders.

Oh sure, they'll whine about their rights, and police harrasment, and
they'll pay their lawyers to trot in front of a judge who will listen
to their complaints.

But so be it. It's the system we've got, and until some semblance of
reality and reason finds its way clear, all we can do is keep putting
the bad guys through the revolving doors.

When they get spit out, chuck them back in.

Bust their grow-ops, and coke pipelines, and meth factories. Seize
their fancy rides, and homes, and stacks of cash. Hit them where it
hurts most.

If you can't get the big guys, get the little ones.

Make all of their lives miserable.

And as you're taking the young, naive bit players off the street, make
it as difficult as possible for the gangsters to recruit new ones.
That means getting into the schools, and malls, and on the streets,
educating young people about the vermin they're thinking about joining.

The gang-bangers should have one thought on their minds, and that is,
"I have got to get out of this town!"

That's if they're lucky enough to do so.