Specialized gang enforcement team heads to Prince George…

PRINCE GEORGE, BC: In continued effort to keep our community safe, the Prince George RCMP invited a policing partner to Prince George to assist with targeting and disrupting drug trafficking groups associated to the recent violence in our City.

Combating violence in our community requires a multi-faceted approach to dealing with the problem. As part of our strategy, the Prince George RCMP invited the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit of British Columbia (CFSEU-BC) to attend Prince George this past weekend. CFSEU-BC’s Uniform Gang Enforcement Team (UGET) were in the City to support our frontline officers and assist with intelligence gathering and enforcement. The main goal of the partnership was to enhance the safety of the public by aggressively disrupting the actions of individuals who choose to involve themselves in drug-related activity and the violence connected to it.

Over the course of Friday and Saturday nights, the UGET conducted many interactions with persons believed to be involved in the recent violent conflict, as well as many others known to police to be involved drug activity. As part of these interactions, the UGET had the following successes:

• Created thirty files in relation to their investigations, including drug-trafficking, impaired driving, weapons possession and driving offences;
• Removed fifteen weapons from the street including a collapsible baton, bear spray, and multiple knives; 
• Seized illicit drugs;
• Issued a number of provincial violation tickets under the Motor Vehicle Act and the Cannabis Act.

Public safety is paramount and we appreciate the additional assistance that the CFSEU-BC officers were able to provide says Cpl. Craig Douglass, spokesperson for the Prince George RCMP. Their support and assistance in targeting members of violent organized crime groups in our community is always welcome.

The Prince George RCMP believe that this partnership and other efforts made in the last two weeks, has significantly diminished violence associated to this drug-related conflict and has disrupted the drug trade. It has been more than a week since the last reported violence related to this conflict.

Regardless of this positive result, the residents of Prince George and surrounding area need to stay vigilant and report incidents to the police as soon as possible. These violent offenders have shown no regard for public safety and the community plays a crucial role in making Prince George safe.

The Prince George RCMP is committed to aggressively targeting those responsible for causing harm through drug trafficking and its associated violence in our community. If you have any information about violence or illegal firearms in the Prince George area, please contact the Prince George RCMP at (250)561-3300 or anonymously contact Crime Stoppers at 1(800)222-8477 or online at www.pgcrimestoppers.bc.ca (English only). You do not have to reveal your identity to Crime Stoppers. If you provide information that leads to an arrest or seizure of firearms, you could be eligible for a cash reward.

Written and released by Prince George RCMP