VIOLENT GROW-RIPS DROP 30 PER CENT

Gangs Jockeying for Territory Vaulted '09 Numbers

Marijuana grow-op rips spiked 30 per cent in Abbotsford for 2009, but
have plummeted by the same amount so far this year.

Const. Ian MacDonald with Abbotsford Police Department said the wild
seesaw of numbers is attributed in part to the deadly gang war that
gripped the city last year.

"I think we probably saw an increase because of the instability
amongst gangs vying for territory in '09."

The 30-per-cent drop in 2010 can be traced to a barrage of
high-profile gang arrests late in 2009 that thinned the leadership of
both Red Scorpion and UN gang members residing in the Fraser Valley,
he said.

MacDonald added the difficulty in tracking statistics on home
invasions stems from the fact it lacks an actual Criminal Code
offence, which impacts how police record these types of incidents.

"The standard deviation on these numbers could be quite high," he
said, but noted the unpredictable nature of gangs is a major factor in
making these figures jump erratically.

"You don't know what [gangs] are plotting to do next. One or several
of these organizations could end up in a territorial war, and decide
to take some decisive action.

"They're criminals, part of their definition is not playing by the
rules," MacDonald offered. "Violence comes part and parcel with their
actions, which are to engage in criminal enterprise and protect their
cash, their drugs and their membership."