Police in Abbotsford, B.C., have launched a new video series that highlights the "senseless" costs of gang activity.
The YouTube videos are a play on the popular MasterCard "Priceless" campaign, and show the costs of being involved in crime -- things like spending a lifetime in jail, missing out on jobs, and mourning murdered friends.
To see the videos, click here.
Const. Ian MacDonald told ctvbc.ca that the videos are intended to target young people who might be tempted by the sometimes glamorous image of gangs.
"We think that with mass media, and the mythology in and around gangs and status and wealth, we need to give certain impressionable folks some reality messaging," he said.
"But we know from our experience that gangsters will end up dead, or they will end up in jail."
MacDonald said that the films were shot on a "shoestring budget" with volunteer actors -- he played a doctor zipping up a body bag in one scene.
"I don't want to be morbid, but we had a good time at the morgue that day."
Police are planning to display the videos on public buildings in the city, and to show them in area high schools.
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