Police in Abbotsford, B.C., launched a graphic poster campaign on Tuesday that they hope will steer youth away from gangs and crime.
Set against a black backdrop, the first in a series of posters features a coffin peeking out from the back of a hearse with a blunt message: "Warning. YOU CAN'T PIMP THIS RIDE."
Officials say the poster campaign -- dubbed "Operation Tarnish" -- is modeled after Health Canada warning labels.
Other posters will be unveiled every few weeks throughout the school year.
"We want to give these people a dose of reality," spokesman Const. Ian MacDonald said in a recent interview with CTV News. "The flip side of not getting the message is obviously way too severe."
The city has been besieged with a number of homicides in recent months.
Last month, the remains of a 24-year-old man were discovered in a burned out car in a berry field. A few days later, investigators discovered his girlfriend's body in the basement of a home.
Investigators have said the two were targeted and that the killings are linked to drugs and organized crime.
A recent Statistics Canada report said the Abbotsford-Mission metropolitan area had the highest rate of homicide in the country in 2008.
