COPS TO GANG UP ON CRIME

Rise in Gunplay Worries Chief

A DANGEROUS criminal combo of drugs, murder and guns has Ottawa Police
Chief Vince Bevan planning a new strategy to crack down on criminal street
gangs. In a presentation titled "Guns and Gangs," Bevan is planning to lay
out his case that city police need to change their priorities and increase
the pressure on organized street crime before Toronto's problems become
Ottawa's.

"It's time for a change," Bevan said yesterday. "We're going to increase
our focus on gangs."

Bevan will explain his plan at a news conference on Tuesday, where he will
also lay out some of the crimes and criminal hardware his officers have
found while investigating the murder of Bashir Sahal last summer.

Sahal died in hospital last August after he was shot five times in a
Caldwell Ave. apartment.

SHOOTING SUSPECTS

As major crime officers hunted for his killers, they began to look more
closely at the Banff-Ledbury Crips, a street gang operating in the
Walkley-Bank-Albion Rd. area in the city's south end.

Several of the gang's members have been picked up for the murder but the
charges didn't stop there.

Police say the gang members, in addition to dealing drugs such as cocaine
and crack, are suspected of other shootings in Ottawa.

And that use of guns has Bevan concerned.

More troubling still is that the street gang is only one of about 12
operating in the city, the chief has said.

Bevan now wants to beef up the city's fight against gangs with the help of
new funding from the province. He said he won't be asking for more money
from the city, which cut his budget by $600,000 this year.

APPEAL

Along with the appeal for funding, he'll also lay out new strategies and
explain how a multi-pronged approach that includes social development,
police, the courts and the Crown prosecutor's office can be part of the
plan to fight gangs.

The chief is expected to roll out an in-depth presentation showing how
police are trying to deal with organized criminal networks whose tentacles
run into a variety of crimes.

Bevan said he is not criticizing the way police have dealt with the issue
in the past but believes a new focus is needed.

The chief was tight-lipped about his exact announcement but said his
information was compelling. "People are going to be surprised," he said.