Rick Dean
Registered
http://www.canoe.ca/NewsStand/TorontoSun/N.../01/404074.html
Gangs take hit
Brit cops: Witnesses lose fear
By JASON TCHIR, TORONTO SUN
Toronto Police are eyeing a U.K. police offensive that's stopping black men from killing each other with guns. "We have been able to work with the community to make witnesses come forward," said Tarique Ghaffur, London Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner, speaking at the Toronto police Gun and Gang Investigators Conference yesterday.
"We're quickly solving all the current murders and have
members of the community giving us evidence of murders from10 years ago."
Since London Police started Project Trident -- which set up an advisory committee from London's Jamaican community
r
who
work directly with police -- the number of shooting deaths have dropped by nearly 40% from 21 m
urders in 2001 to 15 in 2003.
But Ghaffur, speaking at the four-day conference yesterday, said those murders are now being solved quickly because community members are no longer scared to come forward with information.
"We're also giving stronger sentences," he said.
"So far, this year alone, we've given out 116 years imprisonment."
Det.-Sgt. Gary Keys, with the Guns and Gangs task force, said police are interested to see whether it may work in Toronto.
"We're getting a lot of ideas here and we'll have to see what works."
Today a detective from the LAPD will discuss gangs on the West Coast of the U.S.
Gangs take hit
Brit cops: Witnesses lose fear
By JASON TCHIR, TORONTO SUN
Toronto Police are eyeing a U.K. police offensive that's stopping black men from killing each other with guns. "We have been able to work with the community to make witnesses come forward," said Tarique Ghaffur, London Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner, speaking at the Toronto police Gun and Gang Investigators Conference yesterday.
"We're quickly solving all the current murders and have
members of the community giving us evidence of murders from10 years ago."
Since London Police started Project Trident -- which set up an advisory committee from London's Jamaican community
r
who
work directly with police -- the number of shooting deaths have dropped by nearly 40% from 21 m
urders in 2001 to 15 in 2003.
But Ghaffur, speaking at the four-day conference yesterday, said those murders are now being solved quickly because community members are no longer scared to come forward with information.
"We're also giving stronger sentences," he said.
"So far, this year alone, we've given out 116 years imprisonment."
Det.-Sgt. Gary Keys, with the Guns and Gangs task force, said police are interested to see whether it may work in Toronto.
"We're getting a lot of ideas here and we'll have to see what works."
Today a detective from the LAPD will discuss gangs on the West Coast of the U.S.