Island not immune to gangs

VICTORIA - Police on Vancouver Island say no community is immune to gang activity, but steps are being taken to improve intelligence when it comes to the movement of gang members.

VicPD says a recent operation in the Capital Region with B.C.'s Combined Gang Task Force has changed the way its officers approach gangs and organized crime.

RCMP are downplaying the risk to the public after a gangster was shot and killed in a hail of bullets outside a casino in Kelowna, yet former Solicitor General and West Vancouver Police Chief, Kash Heed believes the public needs to be concerned.

"It's naive to believe we don't have any gang members in Victoria." says VicPD spokesperson, Constable Mike Russell.

The department isn't ruling out the chance of retribution violence on Vancouver Island following the Kelowna shooting, but says it is monitoring the situation.

"We don't expect that is going to happen, but we are on top of it. With our intelligence we try to liaise as much as we can, but no community is immune to gang violence." explains Russell.

The 2008 shooting death of a UVIC student steps away from a downtown nightclub shows how tragic gang violence can be.

Though a 16 year old pulled the trigger killing innocent bystander Philbert Truong, Somphavanh "Tommy" Chanthabouala was convicted as the mastermind behind the murder.

Testimony at his trial revealed how Chanthabouala bragged about being a Red Scorpion, a notorious Vancouver drug gang.

It's why B.C.'s Gang Task Force makes trips to Vancouver Island.

Working with Victoria Police on Canada Day, the team removed several people from bars around the capital region and made one high profile arrest.

VicPD believes the training and intelligence gained during the operation will improve public safety.

It's intelligence that will play a vital role as gang members look to escape, as police turn up the heat on the Lower Mainland.

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