VICTORIA – The Province is continuing to take action to keep people and communities safe
through new initiatives that help to combat gangs, fight organized crime, and stop criminals
from bringing violence and toxic drugs into communities.
“Gang violence and organized crime impacts all of us, and we are coordinating with local,
provincial and federal agencies to ensure we are taking the right steps to keep people safe and
hold those responsible for gang-related activities accountable for their actions,” said Mike
Farnworth, Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General. “This is a top priority for our
government. We are continuing to work alongside our policing partners to curb gang violence,
and the development of this team is an important step forward in this collective responsibility.”
Building on the Province’s ongoing efforts to prioritize strong prevention, intervention,
intelligence and enforcement initiatives, a new Integrated Gang Homicide Team (IGHT) is being
created in the Lower Mainland. The team will focus on investigating gang-related homicides
and improving intelligence coordination related to gang activities.
The new team is part of B.C.’s comprehensive gun and gang strategy and will leverage experts
from agencies, including B.C.’s Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit (CFSEU-BC), the
Organized Crime Agency of British Columbia (OCABC) and the RCMP’s Integrated Homicide
Investigation Team (IHIT). The new team will prioritize complex gang-related homicide files in
order to hold individuals accountable and disrupt gang activity in the Lower Mainland.
“For over 20 years, we have utilized an integrated policing approach, successfully investigating
and prosecuting those responsible for the most egregious crimes, including members of
organized crime groups who have, time and again, neglected public safety in furtherance of
their own personal agendas,” said Supt. Mandeep Mooker, officer in charge of IHIT. “Now in
2024, as the gang landscape evolves, so must our approach to keeping Canadians safe.”
Since 2003, gang-related homicides in British Columbia have risen, climbing from 21% of B.C.
homicides to 46% in 2023. Gang-related homicides present unique challenges due to evidence
tampering and witness reluctance, making them more time-consuming and resource-intensive
to investigate.
As of December 2023, IHIT reported 356 unsolved homicides. The establishment of the new
Integrated Gang Homicide Team will strengthen investigative capabilities, enabling IHIT to
redirect team members to focus on these cases.
Under the federal government’s Initiative to Take Action Against Gun and Gang Violence, the
B.C. government has received $10.9 million from Public Safety Canada for the 2023-24 fiscal
year. The funding will go toward anti-gang and crime initiatives throughout the province,
including the Organized Crime Agency of BC, Metro Vancouver Crime Stoppers, and the New
Westminster Police Department’s Gang Suppression Unit.
Significant investments continue for enhanced and specialized enforcement activities related to
guns, gangs and illicit drug trafficking throughout British Columbia. Every year, $100 million is
invested to bolster provincial firearm forensic capabilities, strengthen gang enforcement and
suppression initiatives, and support community-based prevention and intervention programs.