Asian gang violence soars in western Canada

Garavi Gujarat:

YOUNG Indo-Canadian and South Asian deceased men dominate police files in Canada`s westernmost province of British Columbia like no other ethnic groups.

And the province is setting up a special police task force following the deaths of 90 men in extreme gang violence since 1992.

Spokesman Shinder Kirk said 50 officers have joined the task force in recent weeks from the federal Royal Canadian Mounted Police and municipal forces. By fall, it will be at full strength at 80 investigators.

The move came after a plea for help from community leaders, citing extreme concerns from local people over "what was happening in their community, involving their young men," according to Kirk.

The spokesman said there has been a major attitude shift from past practice of trying to avoid publicity to openly talking about the problem.

Balwant Singh Gill, president of an association of 36 Sikh temples in British Columbia, a leader in the fight against gang violence, said "Its come to a point where its the responsibility of not only parents, but of police, teachers, counsellors and social workers."

Officially, the task force will investigate all gangs, but Kirk said its first focus is Indo-Canadian and South Asian gangs.

Almost all the victims died in the metropolitan area around the port city of Vancouver.

The Canadian government has also announced funding for a committee to study the causes of Indo-Canadian youth violence.

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