The federal government has announced 5.3-million dollars to help B-C combat gang and gun violence with initiatives that include prevention and early intervention.

Organized Crime Reduction Minister Bill Blair made the announcement this morning in Victoria, joined by Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan and B.C.'s Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth.

There were 30 more homicides in B-C in 2017 than the year earlier and Sajjan says more than half of the total 118 slayings that year involved firearms, while just over two-thirds were known or suspected to be gang related.

He says the problem is not just found in large cities anymore, adding guns and gangs are having a negative impact on safety in communities across B-C.