Burnaby RCMP’s focus on gang crime got a bit of a boost this week when officers made a traffic stop.
A luxury vehicle was stopped for a traffic violation when officers “spotted” brass knuckles and a folding knife, according to a tweet from the Burnaby RCMP account.
A search of the vehicle also turned out a dial-a-dope-style phone, a big bag of the drug Xanax and cocaine – all inside what police called a “murse” or a man purse.
The Lexus has now been seized and charges are pending.
This is significant because local police are trying to crack down on gang-related crime.
Burnaby’s top cop says the local RCMP is “immediately supplementing” its gang team with extra resources after two deadly gangland shootings in the city in less than a week.
“Disregard for human life is not to be tolerated. This is our number 1 priority,” Supt. Graham De la Gorgendiere said at a recent press conference at Burnaby RCMP headquarters.
De la Gorgendiere said Burnaby RCMP is redeploying resources to bolster its anti-gang efforts, adding two more officers to its 13 member gang team.
He said other teams with an interest in gangs, such as the community response team and drug squad, will also be involved.
Besides redeploying officers to the gang team, he said Burnaby RCMP is also in close communication with the province’s anti-gang agency to work out Burnaby’s role in a regional strategy to combat gang activity and violence.
About 64% of the people involved in Burnaby RCMP gang investigations are from outside of Burnaby, according to De la Gorgendiere.
“I think what this tells us is that this gang conflict has no borders,” he said.
- With additional reporting by Cornelia Naylor
