A Vancouver police officer walks past one of the locations of an overnight shooting in Vancouver where 10 people were injured, Sunday, Dec. 12, 2010.Richard Lam/ The Canadian Press
Liberal leadership candidate George Abbott says if he's elected premier, he'll order a blue-ribbon panel to examine policing throughout British Columbia, including the support given to officers fighting organized crime.
What had been a relatively quiet year for gang violence in Metro Vancouver erupted Sunday with a shooting that left 10 people injured outside a restaurant. In early 2009, the battle over the Vancouver-area drug trade led to dozens of shootings and more than 20 people killed. The gun violence fuelled headlines around the world.
Mr. Abbott, while pledging his support for the work police have done, said Tuesday his panel would examine future options for policing in B.C., including regional models for areas like the Lower Mainland.
"I think co-ordination is important, a comprehensive approach to these matters is important, effectiveness and accountability are important," he said. "I think when we start to get into the specifics of what should be done, we're starting to get into the territory which will be the domain of the blue-ribbon task force."
Mr. Abbott is one of five candidates running for the Liberal leadership. When he launched his campaign last month, he said he was committed to combating organized crime through continued funding for integrated regional policing and investigative teams.
He stressed Tuesday that his plan was not linked to last weekend's shooting and conceded more violent incidents might well occur as gang tensions heat up.
Sunday's shooting occurred outside a restaurant after an invitation-only birthday party. Police have said the incident was connected to a daytime killing at a Burnaby mall two months earlier.
An assault weapon was used in the restaurant attack and all of the injured had "gang connections," Vancouver police have said.
The force provided no new information Tuesday, saying only that eight of the victims remained in hospital. Two were injured critically. Members of the force's forensic identification unit returned to the crime scene to collect evidence.
B.C.'s Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit, which includes the gang task force, had warned last week about an increase in gang tension. It said officers had "prevented several acts of violence on our streets" and detailed incidents involving firearms that occurred in October and November.
Mr. Abbott said the blue-ribbon panel would be chaired by a British Columbian with a "thorough knowledge of the criminal justice system," such as a former judge or senior police officer. The panel would include representatives from local governments.
He said the province would not force any region into a new policing model. The RCMP's B.C. contract expires in 2012 and Mr. Abbott said any new deal would include flexibility if local governments decided on an alternative model.
Rich Coleman, B.C.'s Solicitor-General, said the province added 168 police positions after last year's gang violence and improved intelligence sharing between different units. He said more than 200 gang members and associates have been charged since then, and 140 remain in jail.
Mr. Coleman said legalizing a drug like marijuana, control of which gang members kill for, is not the answer. He called gangsters "leeches" who will simply find a different way to draw blood from society.
While Mr. Coleman defended the province's response to gang violence, New Democratic public safety critic Mike Farnworth said more needs to be done.
"We need to attack every facet of this problem; from providing supports for parents to help steer children away from the gang lifestyle, to tougher sentencing that sends a message and keeps violent criminals behind bars," Mr. Farnworth said.