Our small communities in the Elk Valley might not be impacted directly by gang activity, but the RCMP here say their work is still affected by it.
Earlier this week the province’s anti-gang police unit, the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit (CFSEU), issued its first ever Community Report.
CFSEU is the integrated team of 400 officers and civilians from 14 different agencies, including RCMP and municipal police forces, that disrupt and suppress organized crime around the province.
Their investigations have cracked big cases, such as the discovery of an audacious cross-border drug-smuggling tunnel in Aldergrove and the unraveling of a massive international money-laundering ring.
The CFSEU is now out to capture a bigger public profile with the publication of its first-ever Community Report. The report can be read online at bc-anti-gang.com.
The Elk Valley RCMP is not directly involved in CFSEU, but they do work with the unit through information sharing.
“Thankfully, we don’t have any gangs that we know of in the Valley,” said Sgt. Will Thien from the Elk Valley RCMP.
“But we receive information from the province and Alberta regarding movement of suspected gang members. Obviously, if they are travelling from the Lower Mainland to Alberta, there is a good chance they will be passing through our communities.
“If we interact with any of them, we pass the information on.”
For more on the CFSEU, check out their website at cfseu.bc.ca. Or follow them on Twitter and Facebook.