B.C. launches dedicated squad for gang-related homicides
The percentage of homicides that are gang-related in B.C. has more than doubled in the last 20 years, officials said when announcing a new team that will focus solely on investigating these cases.
These killings accounted for 21 per cent of cases in 2003 and 46 per cent in 2023, according to a statement from the Public Safety Ministry announcing the plan to launch the Integrated Gang Homicide Team.
"Gang-related homicides present unique challenges due to evidence tampering and witness reluctance, making them more time-consuming and resource-intensive to investigate," it says.
The team is expected to be fully operational by late 2024 or early 2025 and will operate under the umbrella of the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team, handling cases in its jurisdiction, which includes most of the Lower Mainland, but not Vancouver.
"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," Supt. Mandeep Mooker, the officer in charge of IHIT, said in a statement.
"Now in 2024, as the gang landscape evolves, so must our approach to keeping Canadians safe."
According to the announcement, IHIT currently has 356 open and unsolved cases and members of the new team will be responsible for focusing on the ones that are gang-related.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Trump election victory 'very unlikely,' but 'possible': former FBI director Comey
Former FBI director James Comey says while he believes former U.S. president Donald Trump "will be defeated" in the upcoming presidential election, he doesn’t think it’s a given.
Robert Pickton stabbed with toothbrush and broken broom handle: victim's family
The family of one of Robert Pickton's victims says the convicted serial killer suffered an incredibly violent death at the hands of another inmate.
Father who killed one-year-old son with axe may be allowed to travel in southwestern Ontario
A Mennonite father who killed his one-year-old son with an axe may be allowed to travel to parts of southern Ontario in the coming months
Panama prepares to evacuate first island in face of rising sea level
On a tiny island off Panama's Caribbean coast, about 300 families are packing their belongings in preparation for a dramatic change. Generations of Gunas who have grown up on Gardi Sugdub in a life dedicated to the sea and tourism will trade that next week for the mainland’s solid ground.
'It feels like freedom': Why some Albertans like going nude in nature
Few people can say they accidentally purchased a nude beach — but Shelley can. When she saw a piece of land she could fondly remember camping on was up for sale, she inquired about it and ended up purchasing it. She soon found that there were already inhabitants on it.
This Calgary home has a giant tree in the middle, and it's for sale
There's a luxury 'tree home' for sale in Calgary.
Beef on and off the ice: Who has the best steak between Alberta and Texas?
As the Edmonton Oilers battle the Dallas Stars in the Stanley Cup Playoffs' Western Conference Finals, there's some beef brewing off the ice as well.
107-year-old luxury rail car ready for visitors after major restoration
Car 14 is a luxury passenger car that once made regular runs from London to Port Stanley starting in 1917.
WestJet ordered to pay B.C. traveller $1,300 for a missed flight connection
A B.C. traveller will receive more than $1,300 in compensation from WestJet for a missed flight connection following a decision from the province's small claims tribunal.