REPORT

RAPPORT


 

DATE:            10 May 2004

 

TO:                 Executive Director, Ottawa Police Services Board

 

FROM:           Chief of Police, Ottawa Police Service

 

SUBJECT:     GANG ISSUES IN OTTAWA 

___________________________________________________________________________________

 

RECOMMENDATION

 

That the Ottawa Police Services Board receives this report for information.

 

 

BACKGROUND

 

The phenomenon of street gangs is not new.  People who lived in Ottawa in the late sixties and early seventies would be familiar with the Squirrels and the Yohawks, two prominent gangs of that time. From anecdotal accounts, members of these gangs limited their criminal activity to minor property crime and assaults.  Members occasionally possessed knives; however, they were seldom if ever used. The rules of engagement for disputes between rival groups were clear; fight involved one on one and when someone was down the fight was over.  

 

By the nineties, the gang scene had changed significantly.  The glorification of the gangster lifestyle was being promoted through the mass media.  Gangster films and music were clearly influencing our youth.  At one point in the early nineties, there were upwards of fifty gangs identified in Ottawa.  The Grub Club, Overbrook Bad Boys, and Ace Crew were three of the most prominent gangs at that time. Swarming type robberies, group assaults and the use of weapons were the norm.  Clearly the crimes that were being committed by members of these gangs were more serious and more violent in nature than anything that we had seen before.  Guns were occasionally used by members to intimidate; however, they were seldom fired.  The rules of engagement had changed.  The 1995 murder of teenager Sylvain Leduc, by members of the Ace Crew gang, illustrated the extent to which things could go.  That event shocked our community.  The arrest and successful prosecution of those responsible seemed to curb the prevalence of gangs and curtail their activities over the following few years.

 

DISCUSSION

 

In September 2000, the Ottawa Police began to see evidence of the re-emergence of gangs and gang activity.  This was particularly evident to our School Resource Officers and our education partners, as we noticed an increase in gang-related activity in and around schools.

 

Officers were reporting more serious violent occurrences.  Guns were more prominent and drug use had risen.  Once again, the rules of engagement had changed.  Gang members were no longer relying on the presence of a gun to intimidate.  They were frequently firing their weapons. 

 

Analysis of the situation determined that there were fewer gangs than there had been a decade before. However, those that existed were more criminally active and more violent.  A decision was taken to concentrate resources on the problem, and planning was undertaken to put a gang unit in place.  

 

Consequently, the Ottawa Police Gang Unit was established in late January 2001.  Its formation coincided with the launch of our new service delivery model.  The unit was staffed by 2 Detectives working under the direction of a Sergeant in the Youth Intervention and Diversion Section. The resources were diverted from existing investigative positions in other areas. 

 

Gang Unit Mandate and Mission

The Unit is responsible for gathering, analyzing and disseminating intelligence information, and prevention through education and social development.  The assigned officers are expected to work closely with internal resources, as well as with numerous external agencies and the community, to reduce the prevalence of gangs and gang-related activity in the city.

 

The gang unit was established as the foundation for Ottawa Police Service’s overall response to the gang issue.  The assumption was that dedicated resources would allow the organization to develop a level of expertise on the issue and enable us to manage the issue more effectively.  Additionally, it was expected that the unit would become the hub for gang intelligence and the coordinating body for suppression and prevention initiatives.

 

Our response to the gang problem is not limited to the work done by the Gang Unit officers.  There has been significant contribution to the fight against gangs by a host of staff, including but not limited to Patrol Officers, School Resource Officers, Neighbourhood Officers, Youth Officers and Investigators. 

 

In order to frame the issue and to provide a focus, the Ottawa Police Service adopted the following definition of what a street gang is and criteria for membership.

 

Street Gang 

A street gang is a self-formed group of juveniles and / or young adults interacting with each other, who engage in criminal behaviour.  It may be loosely or well organized, with established rules of conduct.

 

In order for an individual to be classified as a gang member, along with meeting the definition above, three of the following criteria must be satisfied.

 

§         Involvement direct / indirect in gang-motivated crime;

 

What We Have Learned

We know that there are 15 street gangs in the city of which 6 are categorized as ‘hard-core’.  The balances of these gangs are best categorized as youth gangs.  Typically, the hard-core gangs have been in existence for several years.  Most members of these gangs are young adults, the majority of whom have had multiple contacts with the police over many years.

 

We know that some members of these hard-core gangs are very criminally active.  They are involved in the drug trade; in particular, the trafficking of crack cocaine. 

 

We know that many of these gang members attempt to recruit, control and exploit young females for the purposes of making money in the sex trade.

 

We know that members of these hard-core gangs also engage in a range of other criminal activities including, but not limited to, robberies and fraud. 

 

We know that weapons are being used more frequently to intimidate and to injure when gang members engage in confrontations.  The number of stabbings that come to our attention corroborates this. 

 

We know that many gang members possess, and or have access to, guns.  Information is routinely received from informal sources that a certain gang member was seen with a firearm.  This information cannot always be substantiated and acted upon; however, we know that the information is accurate, given the number of guns seized from gang members and the number of gun-related incidents that we respond to.      

 

We know that many of the members of the hard-core gangs were once members of youth gangs.     

 

We know that youth type street gang is made up of youths aged 12 to17.  Generally, these gangs are not well established in that they have a tendency to surface and disappear over relatively short periods of time.  These gangs attract youth who have been introduced to the gang culture through television, movies and music.  Members are often trying to emulate what they have been exposed to by the mass media and, in some cases, the hard-core gangs that they are exposed to in their communities.

 

We know that we need to be concerned about these gangs and their membership as most members of youth gangs are criminally active.  We know that their criminal activities include, but are not limited to, theft, assault, intimidation and robbery.  It is estimated that members of these youth gangs commit approximately 40 percent of personal robberies.

 

We know that youth usually join gangs for the following reasons: 

 

Safety - As youth, many of these individuals feel that if they are part of a gang they will be protected. In fact, when we review their early contacts with police, we find many of them have been victimized either by other youths, at home, or at school.  They have a false sense of security by being part of a gang.

Belonging - The youth may be lacking support and sense of family at home, and turn to the gang for this type of relationship.  Gang members talk about their gang as their family.

Respect - The youth confuse respect with fear.  They feel that, by imposing fear on others, they are being respected.  They get a sense of power that comes along with this, which is quite alluring to them.

Criminal Activity - Through criminal activity they get a sense of excitement, financial gain, and a reputation by being part of a gang.

 

We know that violence is a way of life for street gangs, and that the level of violence and the frequency of violent events are increasing.  As a result, victims are often reluctant to come forward and to cooperate with the police in an investigation.

 

We know that the victims of gang violence are usually associated to the gang scene.

 

We can predict that innocent people will become collateral casualties of gang violence if the use of guns in gang conflicts continues.

 

An Illustration of the Problem

In August 2003, Bashir Sahal was shot and killed in a Caldwell Avenue apartment.  A lengthy investigation by our Major Crime detectives, assisted by members of the Gang Unit, led to murder charges against two south-end gang members.  A subsequent collateral investigation has resulted in the arrest of 14 other gang members, or associates, and numerous criminal charges.  When investigators executed a search warrant at the residence of one of those charged, they recovered a Tech 9 machine gun, soft body armour, $62,000 in cash and $14,000 worth of crack cocaine.  The investigation is continuing, and it is anticipated that several other arrests and charges will result.

 

This tragic event serves our community with yet another reminder of the significance and potential of gang activity in our city.  The investigation into this murder has provided our organization with a substantial amount of new information about the activities of the members of the Ledbury Banff Crips gang.  The information confirms what we suspected, and illustrates the scope, or extent, of the problem. 

 

Accomplishments

The Gang Unit worked closely with Major Crime Detectives on the Bashir Sahal murder investigation. The intelligence information provided by the Gang Unit was instrumental in the success of the investigation.

 

A member of the unit has been qualified in our courts as an expert witness on gang issues as a result of her extensive knowledge on the subject matter.

 

In February 2002, the Police Service applied for, and received, a $46,150 Provincial grant under the Youth Crime and Violence Initiative funding to develop and provide specialized training in targeting street gangs.  As a result, 240 front-line police officers received training, as did approximately 150 probation officers, correctional officers and educators.  Also at that time, the Service applied for, and received, a $28,130 Provincial grant under the same initiative to provide training and specialized equipment for members of the Gang Unit.

 

In March 2002, the Gang Unit initiated a juvenile prostitution project, aimed at targeting males who were procuring young females for the purposes of prostitution.  Several arrests were made and charges laid.

 

Strong links have been established with Gatineau Police and the Montreal Police Anti Gang Unit. Members of our Gang Unit have recently been assisting Gatineau Police with a gang-related murder investigation.

 

OPS Gang Unit members are active in the Ontario Gang Investigators Network.  Ottawa Police hosted a gang information sharing event for the Network in April 2003.

 

Gang Unit members work closely with Immigration Officers.  At least one gang member has been deported largely as a result of the evidence provided by OPS.  We continue to work with Immigration authorities, and anticipate that two additional gang members will be removed from Canada imminently.

 

 

Profile of a Hard-Core Street Gang - the Ledbury Banff Crips (LBC)

This gang originated in the late nineties in old Ottawa South under a different name, the ‘Junior Crips’.  At the time, they were emulating an older, more established gang, from the south end of Ottawa, known as the ‘South Side Crips’.  At that time, most LBC members either lived in and around the Ledbury Banff housing development, or had ties to that area.  Historically, LBC members were young (teenagers) and were known to be involved in criminal activity, such as mischief, intimidation and personal robberies. 

 

The LBC is one of the most prominent street gangs in Ottawa today.  There are approximately 28 identified members with a large number of associates.  Most LBC gang members are young adult males.  The average age of their members is 20.  There are a significant number of female associates. Members of the LBC are known to exploit and control young females for the purposes sexual relations and, as well, for the purposes of financial gain through the sex trade. 

 

Drugs are almost always directly or indirectly involved in the criminal activities of this gang.  Members are active in the trafficking of cocaine, particularly crack cocaine.  It is a business that brings with it significant violence and intimidation.  Both are used in the collection of debts, and to establish ‘turf’.   Members of the LBC also engage in robberies, assaults, threats and variety of other criminal offences, including fraud.  LBC members often possess and use weapons including guns.  While their name comes from a southeast Ottawa community, and that is the general area where most members originated from, today, members reside across the city and in Gatineau.  As well, their criminal activity is not restricted to southeast Ottawa.

 

A recent review of 69 occurrences involving members of the LBC between January 2003 and April 2004 revealed the following: 30 incidents involved weapons (guns were involved in 20 of these); 12 incidents were drug-related; 72 charges were laid.

 

Ongoing  Efforts       

§         School Resource Officers deliver prevention and awareness sessions.

§         OPS ensures that the following intervention options exist where younger gang members are identified - early detection / early referral of youth at risk; case conferences with community-based service providers.

 

Next Steps

§       Given the recent success that we have had in dismantling the LBC, key staff from various sections of Criminal Investigative Services and the Divisions will meet to conduct a threat assessment on the current gang situation.  This process will assist us in determining where our future enforcement measures will be concentrated.

§       OPS conducted a complement review exercise in 2001.  This review was the precursor for the Strategic Staffing Initiative (SSI).  The complement review process determined that the Gang Unit was understaffed.  We anticipate, through SSI and perhaps some re-organization, that additional resources will be dedicated to the gang issue in the near future.

§       We anticipate an announcement from the Federal Government soon, which will make funds available specifically to address the gang issue through crime prevention.  OPS will develop and submit proposals to access these funds.

§       We will continue to build our good relationships with our local police and immigration partners to ensure that we are working collaboratively to address the gang problem in the area.

§       We will continue to work with both the Federal and Provincial Crown Attorneys Offices to ensure that gang-related offences are prosecuted vigorously.  We are also exploring, with the Crown, the possibilities of prosecuting gang members under the Criminal Organization provisions of the Criminal Code.

§       We will continue to explore ways to engage, and work with, the community and other stakeholders to combat the gang problem.

 

CONCLUSION

 

While gangs and gang violence in Ottawa are not at the levels of other large Canadian cities, there is clear evidence that we have a problem.  Our goal, although ambitious, is to eliminate the problem.  We have had some recent success in our efforts against one gang.  We are in the process of dismantling the LBC.  The threat assessment exercise that is currently underway will assist us in determining what our next priority will be.  We will focus our enforcement efforts on the people that pose the greatest threat to community safety.  Concurrently, we will be working with all of our community partners in taking on this issue from a prevention perspective. 

 

 

Vince Bevan

Chief of Police