$2.7 million dollars from Ottawa will allow the provincial government to create the Gun and Gang Violence Action Fund.
The funding announced in Fredericton on Thursday by Public Safety Minister Carl Urquhart and Organized Crime Reduction Minister Bill Blair.
The objective of the fund is to support law enforcement, crime prevention and intervention initiatives in New Brunswick.
“We are taking action to protect families and communities,” said Public Safety Minister Carl Urquhart. “We are doing that by complementing the Outlaw Motorcycle Gang Strategy. Using the evidence that we collect, a strategic plan will be implemented that will aim to address the underlying reasons for gang violence.”
It will also be used to support police services and other organizations as they try to prevent gun and gang violence.
Understanding the causes of crime specific to every community is critical.
Today, we committed $2.7 million to help police and community organizations in New Brunswick enhance their efforts to prevent, disrupt, and combat gun and gang violence. pic.twitter.com/pxu3VQpoR5
— Bill Blair (@BillBlair) August 1, 2019
Minister Blair is a former Toronto Police Chief.
“There are many factors associated with gun and gang violence. Having spent a career in law enforcement, I know we cannot arrest our way out of the problem,” said federal Border Security and Organized Crime Reduction Minister Bill Blair. “Understanding the causes specific to the community is key to reaching young people who may be vulnerable to joining gangs, and to giving youth a safe and secure way to leave gangs and build a strong future.”
The provincial government says their five-year plan compliments the Crime Prevention and Reduction Strategy and Outlaw Motorcycle Gang Strategy.
It aims to address existing, emerging and underlying gun and gang violence and related issues through knowledge development, prevention, intervention and suppression activities.
