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A veteran city councillor wants Ottawa’s police chief to brief council on the city’s gang problems. But Diane Deans also says the problem runs deeper than policing.
“We need to hear from the chief,” Deans told the Citizen on Tuesday. Her ward, Gloucester-Southgate, takes in neighbourhoods where street gangs are centred in this city.
“I think the chief needs to make a case for what resources this service needs. Is it a matter of resources? Is it a matter of shifting resources? Is it a matter of training? I think we need to understand more about the fundamentals,” she said.
“And who are causing these problems? Are these two main gangs that are operating? Is it some of the offshoot gangs? Is it gangs coming in from other jurisdictions?”
Deans said the chief talks to the Police Services Board, the seven-member board, including three councillors, that oversees the police service. But Deans said it’s time for Chief Charles Bordeleau to talk to everyone on council “because council needs to make evidence-based decisions. We need to have a far greater understanding of what is happening out there than we currently do. … We need to invite the chief to come and address council on this issue.”
Meanwhile, she wants to deal with why young children are pulled into gang life in the first place.
“Yes, a police presence is really important in addressing the symptoms of this issue. But we have to address the root causes, and I think the city needs to do more than we have done,” Deans said.
The city needs to know “where it starts and how it starts. My understanding is that these kids are getting into drug dealing and gangs at really young ages, like 12, 13, 14 years old.”
“They tend to be grouped into lower-income communities, and we throw resources at those after the fact. I think we have to fundamentally start looking at best practices across North America — how other cities have addressed these communities that have too much poverty and are ripe for drug dealers to prey on the young.”
Ottawa remains overall one of the safest cities in North America, Deans said, despite the recent series of shootings.
“I don’t believe Ottawa has fundamentally changed. We’re obviously seeing a spike in gun-related violence at the moment,” said Bay Coun. Mark Taylor.
He said the violence “seems to be contained” to gang members. “There’s definitely a concern that, when they are shooting, innocent folks could be injured. At the same time, they’re not taking the guns in to rob stores and this type of thing. It’s all contained within their organizations,” and Ottawa overall is not becoming more dangerous, he said.
Taylor agreed with Eli El-Chantiry, head of the Police Services Board, that police pressure in the south end has “absolutely” driven gang members west to his area.
Like Deans, he said it’s crucial in dealing with gangs to “erode their ability to attract new members” from the very young.
But he said recent improvements in hot spots such as Michele Heights and Penny Drive — such as more surveillance cameras and increased police patrols — have made many people feel safer.
Not everyone feels that way.
An employee at the Tim Hortons on Carling Avenue near Michele Heights heard gunshots two weeks ago while she was taking out the trash in the evening.
Assistant general manager Gurpreet Banti said many of her employees have heard gunshots before, and they’re scared.
“The ladies don’t want go alone by themselves when they’re living in Bayshore area,” she said.
Banti said they don’t see many police officers in the neighbourhood, not even since the recent shootings.
“Police are supposed to be where the crime is going on. They’re supposed to be here but I never see the police in this area.”
In River Ward, home to the Banff-Ledbury and Debra Dynes neighbourhoods, Coun. Riley Brockington warns that “if you are only relying on the police presence, you will never win.”
The city needs to address poverty and education first, he said.
“You can have a vibrant community in social housing, where people are engaged. . . . I believe you can lessen likelihoods of neighbourhoods being taken over by drug dealers.”
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“We need to hear from the chief,” Deans told the Citizen on Tuesday. Her ward, Gloucester-Southgate, takes in neighbourhoods where street gangs are centred in this city.
“I think the chief needs to make a case for what resources this service needs. Is it a matter of resources? Is it a matter of shifting resources? Is it a matter of training? I think we need to understand more about the fundamentals,” she said.
“And who are causing these problems? Are these two main gangs that are operating? Is it some of the offshoot gangs? Is it gangs coming in from other jurisdictions?”
Deans said the chief talks to the Police Services Board, the seven-member board, including three councillors, that oversees the police service. But Deans said it’s time for Chief Charles Bordeleau to talk to everyone on council “because council needs to make evidence-based decisions. We need to have a far greater understanding of what is happening out there than we currently do. … We need to invite the chief to come and address council on this issue.”
Meanwhile, she wants to deal with why young children are pulled into gang life in the first place.
“Yes, a police presence is really important in addressing the symptoms of this issue. But we have to address the root causes, and I think the city needs to do more than we have done,” Deans said.
The city needs to know “where it starts and how it starts. My understanding is that these kids are getting into drug dealing and gangs at really young ages, like 12, 13, 14 years old.”
“They tend to be grouped into lower-income communities, and we throw resources at those after the fact. I think we have to fundamentally start looking at best practices across North America — how other cities have addressed these communities that have too much poverty and are ripe for drug dealers to prey on the young.”
Ottawa remains overall one of the safest cities in North America, Deans said, despite the recent series of shootings.
“I don’t believe Ottawa has fundamentally changed. We’re obviously seeing a spike in gun-related violence at the moment,” said Bay Coun. Mark Taylor.
He said the violence “seems to be contained” to gang members. “There’s definitely a concern that, when they are shooting, innocent folks could be injured. At the same time, they’re not taking the guns in to rob stores and this type of thing. It’s all contained within their organizations,” and Ottawa overall is not becoming more dangerous, he said.
Taylor agreed with Eli El-Chantiry, head of the Police Services Board, that police pressure in the south end has “absolutely” driven gang members west to his area.
Like Deans, he said it’s crucial in dealing with gangs to “erode their ability to attract new members” from the very young.
But he said recent improvements in hot spots such as Michele Heights and Penny Drive — such as more surveillance cameras and increased police patrols — have made many people feel safer.
Not everyone feels that way.
An employee at the Tim Hortons on Carling Avenue near Michele Heights heard gunshots two weeks ago while she was taking out the trash in the evening.
Assistant general manager Gurpreet Banti said many of her employees have heard gunshots before, and they’re scared.
“The ladies don’t want go alone by themselves when they’re living in Bayshore area,” she said.
Banti said they don’t see many police officers in the neighbourhood, not even since the recent shootings.
“Police are supposed to be where the crime is going on. They’re supposed to be here but I never see the police in this area.”
In River Ward, home to the Banff-Ledbury and Debra Dynes neighbourhoods, Coun. Riley Brockington warns that “if you are only relying on the police presence, you will never win.”
The city needs to address poverty and education first, he said.
“You can have a vibrant community in social housing, where people are engaged. . . . I believe you can lessen likelihoods of neighbourhoods being taken over by drug dealers.”
Related
- Drug 'scourge' fuels growing gun violence, gang members' lawyer says
- Timeline: Some of the 48 shootings reported in Ottawa this year
- Police to add detectives to gangs unit after day of two shootings
- The challenges police face when shooting victims won't talk
tspears@ottawacitizen.com
twitter.com/TomSpears1
查看原文...
