Vernon council to get first look at gun and gang violence prevention strategy

Photo: Jon Manchester

Vernon councillors will get their first look at the city's gun and gang violence prevention strategy on Monday.

The strategy stems from the announcement last week $6.9 million in funding from the federal government for the B.C. Interior, including $953,000 for Vernon.

The announcement came on the heels of what police called the "largest and most significant drug and gun seizure" led North Okanagan RCMP's Targeted Policing Unit.

The valleywide drug trafficking investigation resulted in five arrests and raids in Armstrong, Lake Country and West Kelowna.

Police seized "an arsenal of guns" including 27 assault rifles, 18 handguns, six shotguns, and evidence of firearm manufacturing and assembly.

They also seized more than 30 kilograms of suspected illicit drugs, including cocaine, methamphetamine, MDMA, fentanyl, and synthetic opioid pills along with five vehicles and more than $100,000 in cash.

Felix Munger of the Canadian Municipal Network on Crime Prevention will provide an overview for council via Zoom of the new prevention strategy.

"Despite the community's substantial level of engagement and collaboration, data suggest that post-COVID challenges have exacerbated existing social issues, particularly for populations already facing multiple risk factors. This is particularly concerning given the decline in service capacity, as evidenced by long waitlists for assessments and supports," the report states.

It recommends three interrelated projects:

• Develop outreach and navigator support for at-risk youth during hours the Vernon Youth Safe House is closed.
• Develop an Indigenous, peer-based, youth mentorship program to reduce discrimination and promote cultural awareness among young people, with a specific focus on fostering a greater sense of belonging for Indigenous youth.
• Develop a waitlist management program to prevent children and youth from experiencing additional negative outcomes due to delays in receiving necessary services. The project aims to provide support for children, youth, and their families who are currently unable to access services and for whom prolonged waiting periods may lead to long-term negative impacts and increased risk factors.

Success will hinge on how the community gets behind the initiative.

It's recommended that a stewardship team lead the strategy implementation, an outside evaluator assess the process and impact of the strategy, and that it evolve to meet changing risk indicators, in collaboration with the school district.

"To prevent crime and violence – including gang violence – it is important to understand their causes. Crime is primarily the outcome of multiple adverse economic, social, and family conditions," the report continues.

"The root causes approach is a way of thinking systemically and holistically about the complex, multiple, and interconnected roots of social problems such as gang violence. It calls for collaborative, comprehensive, and sustained efforts to transform these underlying conditions rather than focus solely on the symptoms. The goal is to prevent crime and victimization from occurring in the first place by building a society that supports the well-being of everyone."

Gang violence prevention efforts should ideally focus on improving economic, social and family structures, addressing such things as lack of educational opportunities, lack of meaningful employment options, prejudice against those living in poverty, inequality, real or perceived inaccessibility to services, parental conflict, parental criminality, abuse and neglect of children, and family violence.

Photo: City of Vernon