

Chris D. Lewis, Special to CP24.com





The past several years have seen a variety of measures taken by governments effectively reduce the ability of Toronto Police and other police services to take impactful action in addressing growing gang problems and associated gun violence. Despite the genuine will of law enforcement officers and their leaders, gang/gun violence is becoming a predominant threat in a number of cities.

Canada already has strict gun laws. There may be a few loopholes to tighten, but I truly believe that in the vast, vast majority of cases, legal gun owners that have endured all the hoops that Canadian firearms legislation brings are not a threat to public safety. Yes, on occasion a formerly law-abiding gun owner will harm an innocent person or themselves with a legally owned handgun or long-arm, and that is sad, but we cannot legislate our way out of every possible tragic eventuality.

I will only speak to the Toronto situation, given the recent surge in gang shootings and media, public and elected official concerns raised, but these issues apply to many of Canada’s major cities.

Toronto Police (TPS) have been undergoing a long-term modernization project – for the most part to reduce costs, but also to more effectively address changing operational demands. The transformational agenda is largely based on reducing uniform staff; better use of emerging technology; resource deployment based on analysis; and the “community mobilization” model that most police services are adopting. All good I assume, but reducing staff before the efficiency pieces of the strategy are fully implemented is causing valid police association concerns in terms of visibility, response and staff wellness needs. They still need the critical mass to be present at the right places and times to deter gang violence and when it occurs, they need to resources to respond in numbers, without leaving other TPS divisions woefully short of officers.

At the same time, the concern about so-called “carding” and the municipal decision to remove TPS officers from schools, have both negatively impacted the fight against gangs.

The public needs to trust the police if they are going to cooperate with them; tell police what they suspect might happen or pass on information when something does. Developing good relationships between young people and police is undoubtedly a big part of increasing that much needed public trust, as well as helping kids make good decisions regarding destructive lifestyle issues – like gang activity.

The carding or “street checks” concerns were well-founded when solely focused on the fact that SOME officers were apparently regularly checking law abiding people of colour based on nothing but race. However many other officers were just checking suspicious people in suspicious circumstances, and yes, some of those checked happened to be people of colour, but the checks were not racially focused. It is the job of the police to conduct lawful checks in valid situations, however street checks virtually ended in Toronto amid that controversy. Despite some policy clarification that eventually emerged, known gang members are now seldom checked by police. Officers I’ve spoken to don’t feel it’s worth the potential criticism that will follow and that some of their senior executive will not support their legitimate efforts to do what is right.

If people make the conscious decision to be members of gangs, they should know that they will be regularly checked by police. The “shaking down” of known gang members by police should be an accepted police activity. Not based on race, but based on the fact that these idiots are “known” members of criminal organizations and a threat to public and officer safety. When they commit offences – and they will, release shouldn’t be an option. People that are committing gun offences, including shooting at people, should not be released on bail. Chief Saunders told the media last week that over 300 people charged with gun offences are currently out on bail in Toronto alone and a number of them have gone on to commit further crimes. That is a frightening stat that I cannot believe any law-abiding Canadian can accept.

But if and when they are released, they should know that cops will be watching them, checking on them and when they violate a single condition of their bail, probation or parole, they will go directly to jail. Senior police officials need to stand strong in support of their officers that are doing the right thing for the right reasons – to protect the public. Let the civil law suits and Charter challenges come and then let well-informed courts decide what is best for public safety. It’s time for police and the courts to err on the side of public safety and not the rights of known criminals.

“Cash for guns” programs were well intended and some guns that may have ended up in the wrong hands were turned in. But does anyone really think that street gangs and organized crime figures lined up to turn in their guns? Give me a break.

The recent political speak swirling about “banning handguns in Toronto” is too little, too late. The time to do that was in the 1800s, not now. I’m not a lawyer, but in my view that proposal will amount to nothing but a bylaw and be right up there with parking and noise violations in terms of enforcement authority. It is not apt to put the fear of God into gang members that are already violating criminal laws that could put them in jail.

Mandatory sentences for gun crimes need to return. The Supreme Court of Canada struck some of that legislation down a few years ago as being “cruel and unusual punishment”. I don’t know that the average Canadian would agree. Kids getting shot in parks or innocent women getting caught in drive-by shootings in Toronto certainly has caught the attention (and the ire) of law-abiding citizens though.

Simply having more officers employed by TPS isn’t the answer, but police do need to have adequate resources to flood potential hot spots to deter gun crime and they need the resources to identify and investigate the heck out of gang members, without burning out their members. TPS leadership and the association have to work together to find the right staffing balance.

And lastly, all levels of government, educators and social services agencies need to collaborate with police to focus limited resources on preventing people from joining gangs, and then law enforcement agencies at all levels need stop illegal handguns from coming into Canada. The biggest and most minimally protected international border in the world allows for the majority of crime guns to enter our country illegally. This panacea can’t happen overnight, but if we reduce gang membership and the availability of illegal firearms, we will reduce the number of deadly shootings in our streets.

It’s time to get tough.