COPS GET SCHOOLED BY ANTI-GANG TASK FORCE

There were a lot of extra cops in town July 23-25, when members of the
provincial anti-gang task force made an educational visit.

Over that weekend, local RCMP officers teamed up with members of
B.C.'s Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit - Uniformed Gang Task
Force (GTF) from Vancouver.

"This was an opportunity to have our frontline officers in Campbell
River work alongside task force members and learn their best practices
and tactics," said team leader Cpl. Donovan Tait in an RCMP news release.

While they were here, the task force members and local officers
checked a dozen local licenced restaurants and bars.

They spoke with staff members and management, answered questions and
provided information.

The team also made five arrests, including one man suspected of
selling cocaine in a licenced establishment. As well, the task force
assisted local officers in checking on local "prolific offenders," and
on people with court-imposed conditions.

The team also handed out several charges under the Motor Vehicle Act
and Liquor Licencing and Control Act, including one 24-hour driving
suspension for alcohol.

"The project was a huge success with both teams sharing information,
tactics and strategies. The members of the GTF were very approachable
and engaged local citizens in conversation on drugs and organized
crime in the community," Tait said.

The team leader added that the weekend showed Campbell River's
approach to dealing with drug and gang issues is in line with what
police are doing in the larger urban centres in B.C.

Police say the drug trade is directly linked with organized crime
groups, gangs and their affiliates.

And Campbell River RCMP say they know who the local players are, and
are "well aware of individuals and groups that have links to the
criminal underworld whose business poses a risk to community safety."

The Uniformed Gang Task Force was created in November 2007 in response
to several high-profile shootings and includes officers from the RCMP
and all the municipal agencies in Metro Vancouver.

Its original mandate was to provide a uniformed presence on the
streets to supress gang violence; however its roles and
responsibilities have increased to include investigations related to
gangs.