B.C. Liberal Inaction Making Gangs Fearless
The Campbell government needs to start taking gang violence seriously, NDP public safety critic Mike Farnworth said in the wake of yet more gang slayings on the streets of Vancouver. 
Mike Farnworth
“The Campbell government needs to start taking this very dangerous situation seriously,” said Farnworth. “Innocent lives are being put at risk by criminals who seem to think they have free reign to commit murder in our streets. It’s an intolerable situation but Campbell has shown no signs of developing a realistic strategy to protect average citizens from out-of-control violence.”
Farnworth was referring to the weekend killings of two men on a busy downtown Vancouver street.
Earlier today, the families of innocent victims who were killed in the cross fire of gang violence, criticized Gordon Campbell, Wally Oppal and John Les for their failure to take the issue seriously. Eileen Mohan and Ed Schellenberg, who both belong to the Families Against Crime & Trauma, noted that Campbell didn’t once mention the problem of gang violence in his year-end media interviews.
“B.C.’s Solicitor General John Les has been neglectful and dismissive of the gang violence problem at best. His response has been an aimless shuffling and reshuffling of task forces. Last year, when West Vancouver Police Chief Kash Heed suggested a regional approach to tackle the problem, Les said Heed was being unhelpful and out of line,” said Farnworth.
“Les has refused to act - and he has dismissed important advice. This approach is causing the criminals to become bolder. The public has waited long enough for answers from this government. It’s time Gordon Campbell explained how exactly he’ll act to stem the tide of gang related violence,” Farnworth said.