UNIFORM GANG ENFORCEMENT TEAM
CFSEU-BC’s uniformed officers will check about 4,000 people in a year
The Uniform Gang Enforcement Team had its genesis in 2007 to counteract a growing number of violent gang incidents throughout the Lower Mainland. Formerly called the Violence Suppression Team (VST) and initially based out of the Vancouver Police Department, the integrated patrol-based model quickly became a success. The rate of violent incidents in public places began to drop, the bars and restaurants got onboard and it’s been a key component of the guns and gangs strategy ever since.
The uniform teams approach to the reduction of gang violence in public places
Out of the thousands of encounters these officers have on a yearly basis—often dealing with people who are naturally anti-police—there are few complaints from the public. That’s a major accomplishment for any police agency and in particular, a unit such as the uniformed teams, which are tasked and mandated to deal head-on with some of the most violent people in society.
Of all the people checked in a year, 6.4 per cent will result in an arrest. In addition to regular patrols around Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley, the gang enforcement team will travel to communities around British Columbia to assist municipal departments and detachments with their gang suppression efforts. They also share intelligence with police agencies across BC.
The uniform team model takes a three-tiered approach to the reduction of gang violence in public places:
▸ Prevention—because gang members and their associates go out to the bars and restaurants to recruit people
▸ Intervention—because our officers are intervening before gang violence has a chance to happen
▸ Suppression—because the officers are present if people breach the law