Rafe Arnott Canwest News Service Tuesday March 8, 2010
METRO VANCOUVER - The Abbotsford Police Department will be publicly advertising its 'Top 10' list of gangsters in the Fraser Valley.
The list comes as the APD works to cut down on incidents of violent crime, homicide and drug trafficking in the city in 2010.
Department spokesperson Const. Ian MacDonald said police are using a dedicated crime analyst to compile a list of all gang members in the area, and the new gang suppression unit coming on line this spring will be spearheading the effort.
"We're going public with our most wanted list," he said.
MacDonald said the formation of the list is partly a deterrent, and meant to send a clear message to criminals.
"We will be arresting those people on the top 10 list."
The list will also feature gang members not living in Abbotsford, but who do most of their work here, and any information the APD has will be shared with other police departments across the Lower Mainland, said MacDonald.
The total number of gangsters will vary since many will not be carded Red Scorpion or UN Gang members.
The department will be doing extensive background checks before releasing information, and will advise the public why each person appears on the list.
"Obviously, when we embark [on a program] like this, we want to ensure we are solid in making our assessments," said MacDonald.
Regardless of where gang members commute to or from, said MacDonald, "In most jurisdictions in the Lower Mainland, someone who is flagged as a top 10 gangster in Abbotsford would get people's attention wherever they are."
Abbotsford Times
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