Pubdate: Tue, 09 Apr 2013 Source: Daily Courier, The (CN BC) Copyright: 2013 The Okanagan Valley Group of Newspapers Contact: http://drugsense.org/url/5NyOACet Website: http://www.kelownadailycourier.ca Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/531 Author: J.P.Squire $4M FOR GANG WAR John Cummins Wants to Put the Fear of the Conservatives into Criminal Gangs in the Interior and Northern B.C. The B.C. Tory leader announced a $4-million war against gangs in Kelowna, where notorious Red Scorpions leader Jonathan Bacon was murdered and four associates wounded in a brazen daylight shooting at the Delta Grand hotel on Aug. 14, 2011. Kelowna is also the Interior base for a new RCMP anti-gang unit. As part of a series of platform planks being announced across the province, Cummins said a Conservative government would spend $4 million to hire 10 new Crown counsels for a northern and Interior gang-crime prosecutors' unit. In an interview after the announcement, Cummins said some of those Crown counsels would be based in Kelowna because it is a central location "and because of the significant activity that has occurred here." "There is a lot of action here in Kelowna, no question about it. It's scary when these things happen. You're in the neighbourhood and the shooting starts. Innocent people can be hurt," said Cummins. "This is a focal point in the sense that it is a wonderful vacation area and there does seem to be more activity here. And it has to stop. We've got to get a handle on it," said Cummins flanked by the three Central Okanagan Tory candidates. "These complex gang trials put tremendous strain on an already overburdened justice system, and this strain is leading to trial delays and higher costs. We must do a better job putting gang criminals in prison, and that's exactly what our gang crime prosecutors unit will do." The negative publicity also hurts communities like Kelowna by labelling them, he added. "People see these things happening and they wonder: Is that the place that I want to visit? So the impact goes beyond the incident. It is another reason why we have to address the problem." In addition, Cummins pledged a second $4 million and more resources to help drug addicts break the cycle of addiction and stop them from repeated crime. "It's a revolving door with these guys. They are picked up today, there are charges laid and they are back out on the streets tomorrow. When you look at it, supporting their drug habit is a huge cause of criminal activity. The cycle has to be broken," he said. "These are human beings with a health problem. We think we have to start devoting more resources to saving their lives. Getting these people off drugs has to be part of the solution. As long as there is the demand, the demand is going to be filled." His party would also encourage more sentencing options, such as drug courts. The Conservatives' fiscal framework dedicates $750 million to focus on justice issues in response to the Liberal government "dramatically" cutting funding over several years, he said. The objective is making the justice system more efficient and timely with more judges, sheriffs, administrators and support staff. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom