Street gangs are expanding their reach to Brampton and Mississauga and tapping into the Region’s diverse ethnic populations to increase their power base. According to the Peel Regional Police, there are over 100 street gangs and over a 1000 gang members operating within the Region with ties to established organized crime syndicates.
In this episode of Brampton Focus, Michael A. Charbon sits down with Peel Police Chief Jennifer Evans and Cst. Greg O’Connor of the Strategic Gangs and Intelligence Unit to discuss how serious a problem gangs are in Peel.
Street gangs are being blamed for an escalation of violence involving firearms and drug related crimes. Many of these gangs are pragmatic about a commonality of purpose and are forming alliances with other criminal organizations in what Constable Greg O’Connor describes as “hybrid gangs.” The gangs are heavily involved in human trafficking, drugs and auto theft.
What is Peel Regional Police doing to tackle this problem? What can the average citizen do? How can parents recognize if their child is involved in gangs and what can they do to prevent that from happening? Is there a way out?
These are questions that law enforcement agencies are grappling with worldwide. As Brampton grows, so do the problems that come with being the 9th largest city in Canada.
