ANTI-GANG CAMPAIGN URGES PARENTS TO SET GOOD EXAMPLE

Abbotsford police kicked off another anti-gang campaign Tuesday, this
time targeting parents who need to do more to keep their kids away
from the dangerous lifestyle.

Const. Ian MacDonald said most parents are doing everything they can
for their children. But there are a few "who are wilfully blind" when
their teens make their first gang connections.

MacDonald said that in a disturbing number of raids last year,
Abbotsford police found young children living in the homes of
traffickers in proximity to drugs and firearms.

"It seems like it is a growing trend," he said. "In one case the drugs
were stored in a Disney bag and that was in close proximity to the
toddler."

The new campaign, dubbed Operation Lodestar, will include
presentations to parents "to connect with the community in regard to
the wellbeing and futures of our youth," MacDonald said.

After a series of gangland murders of teens and young adults in the
Fraser Valley city last year, police launched several anti-gang
educational programs targeting 12,000 students across the district.

MacDonald said police were still working with schools to host evening
information sessions that involve students and parents.

"Our challenge now is to the parents of those kids: You care about
your kids and you care about your community and you want your kids to
be on a good path, so how many of you are going to come out for a
presentation?"

He said the force will do whatever it takes to help Abbotsford
children avoid gangs.

"We are prepared to do almost everything. This is a big deal for us,"
he said. "We are going to use every tool in the cupboard here."

Abbotsford has produced two new posters showing an adorable
five-year-old who is dressed like a gangster. In the second poster, he
is wearing prison garb. Both say: "When I grow up, I want to be just
like Daddy."

MacDonald said pol ice want parents to set a positive example for
their kids and to stay informed and support school. Parents also need
to get involved and make the rules for their kids, he said.

Abbotsford has seen an explosion in gang activity over the last decade
and become home to violent mid-level gangs such as the United Nations
and the Red Scorpions.

For two years in a row, the Abbotsford-Mission area has had the
highest per capita murder rate in Canada, though that has slowed
significantly over the last few months.

The new posters and fact sheets will be distributed through city
buildings, but also local businesses.

"We hope they generate discussion and debate in the community as we
endeavour to engage parents as integral parts of the solution to youth
involvement in gangs and criminal activity," MacDonald said.

The educational campaigns are part of an anti-gang policing strategy
that has also included stepped-up enforcement of street-level drug
operations.