Six shootings in six days – that was the headline on CTV’s six o’clock news. Gang warfare has shot up again, after dying down for several months, and has hit every corner of Metro Vancouver, from Kitsilano to Coquitlam to Abbotsford. 

All I’ve heard are repeat calls for more cops and tougher sentences. Some I’ve spoken to insist that Canada’s justice system is far too lenient and that we need to be taking an “eye for an eye”. 

Every once in a while, I’ll read that this gang warfare can be attributed to rivalry in the illegal drug trade. 

Obviously, the trend in public safety, or at least the perception of public safety, is that things are getting worse all the time. Before we try to solve this gang warfare problem though, I think we need to examine a number of things:

• Are there more gangs now than ever before? If so, why?
• Are gangs more violent than ever before? If so, why?
• Do harder sentences deter gangsters from said lifestyle?

Without those answers, I don’t think we can, or even should, attempt to resolve this issue. 

However, based on what I know, and assuming the increase in gangs and gang warfare is due to rivalry in the illegal drug trade, here’s my suggestions:

1. Legalize, regulate, and taxes drugs

Sound crazy? Tell that to the editorial board of The Province.

The market for drugs has always, and will continue to exist. Currently, that market is being pushed underground and into the hands of gangs. They make obscene profits, while putting their customers at risk, either through involvement or relation to the gang, or through an unpure and unsafe product.

Meanwhile, the underground marijuana trade already generates $6 billion in BC’s GDP annually – more than twice what forestry contributes to our economy.

It’s not just marijuana though. The crystal meth market is booming, and heroin, cocaine, and ecstasy all remain regular staples in the drug trade. Even if we legalized pot, the gangsters would just move onto another drug.

And so, would it really be that bad if we legalized drugs? In doing so, we would take back the market from the gangsters, regulate its usage like tobacco and alcohol, tax it (and generate huge revenues), and invest in proper unbiased education about the pros and cons of drugs so that people make informed decisions about its usage.

2. Invest in education

Once the major profit schemes of gangs are all but eliminated (see #1), that’s not to say gangs will disappear. They exist and will continue to exist for many of the core reasons people join them – acceptance, failing in school, a poor home life, etc.

The people that join gangs are the ones that have fallen through the cracks of society. We cannot allow that to occur anymore, and it starts with the fundamental of an education.

The school system must be reformed to encourage innovation, creativity, engagement, skill development, individuality, belonging, and brilliance. All students must leave the system with the capacity to change the world for the better.

3. A regional police force

If Metro Vancouver is good at one thing, it’s not cooperating at a regional level. The level of bickering that occurs among the cities in the region is absolutely unacceptable, whether that’s at the regional board or at TransLink. Our municipalities need to understand that working together to accomplish common goals for the betterment of the region will ultimately improve the quality of life from West Vancouver to Langley.

The Metro Vancouver Regional District was a very innovative model for its time, and has been, all things considered, relatively successful at meeting its goals. It’s due to Metro’s success that the region hasn’t been amalgamated like Montreal or Toronto. 

TransLink, as well, was a novel approach to regional transportation planning and governance, and while it’s had its fair share of problems, its model continues to inspire cities around the world.

In my opinion, it’s high time that we begin examining a regional model for our police force. Criminals do not recognize municipal borders, and neither should our cops. The success of the several regional task forces should set the stage for this discussion.

If anything, this should ultimately save money for the municipalities by reducing overlap, provide greater oversight by splitting from the national RCMP, and deliver improved public safety across the region.

4. Reform the justice system and sentencing

I don’t know too much about our justice system, but it’s one of those things in Canada, like healthcare, that we partially pride ourselves on, yet constantly critique as being not good enough. Generally, there seems to always be this consensus that criminals get away with murder (literally) far too easily. And, based on what I know about sentencing, I would agree with that statement. We are too lenient – in some cases.

I fully support restorative justice. People make mistakes and should be allowed a second chance at life. Currently, some sentences definitely do not fit the crime, and this approach should be more proactively taken than simply throwing the criminal in jail.

However, that said, when criminals become repeat offenders, we must take a harder approach. Restorative justice should continue to be the ultimate goal, but it must be balanced with retributive justice – “let the punishment fit the crime”. If anything, keeping repeat offenders in jail is not so much a solution to changing their psyche, but keeping the community safe from their likely offences.

As the number of separate criminal incidents increases per individual, their sentences must dramatically increase as well. Such a system would let criminals know that, yes, it’s okay to have made a bad decision, as long as you learn from it. If you don’t, you are no longer off the hook and you will pay for the consequences.