Gang Task Force takes efforts to Prince George

It was no doubt an uncomfortable weekend for any gang members currently calling Prince George home, as the province's Uniform Gang Task Force rolled into the city and showed the flag.

The Task Force which is a combination of RCMP and municipal police forces from the Greater Vancouver area has been moving further out from that area over the last few years, making connections and arrests in other smaller communities which are feeling the pressure of gang involvement in their cities and towns.

It was the first time for the Task Force in Prince George and with their visit some thirty five files were created by the Force, resulting in arrests, evictions of known gang members from local bars and seizure of weapons and drugs in the weekend sweep.

Prior to the Task Force's arrival on Friday, a combined unit based in Prince George made their own high profile arrests with raids on two crack houses in the city, part of the continuing efforts to combat the growing drug trade in the city.

The efforts of both the Prince George unit and the Uniform Gang Task Force provide indications that police officials intend to keep the pressure on gang activity in the city and collect intelligence on who the members are and what they are doing.

And while the Force promised to be back to Prince George, there was no word  from this weekend on whether the Uniform Gang Task Force has plans to move beyond its visit to Prince George and if a turn down Highway 16 towards the coast is on their radar in the future, an invitation that could help the local detachment in its efforts against potential gang activity.

The Prince George media went along for a few of the weekend tours, and Vancouver's papers provided some interesting reviews of the work of the Task Force during its Prince George stop.

Opinion 250-- On the Road with the Uniformed Gang Task Force
Opinion 250-- Gang Task Force says weekend work in P. G. a success
CKPG TV-- Gang Task Ride Along (video report)
CKPG TV-- Local Mounties Lower the Boom on Gang Activity 
Vancouver Province-- 'We'll be back,' cops tell Prince George gangsters 
Vancouver Sun-- Police seize guns, drugs in weekend gang crackdown in Prince George
Prince George Citizen-- Gang task force in city over weekend
PG Free Press-- Gang task force to patrol bars in Prince George this weekend