Good morning, everyone. Thank you very much for providing me the opportunity to speak to you all here today.
I'm currently assigned to the organized crime section of the Vancouver Police Department. Since May 2021, I have been in charge of a task force responsible for reducing gang violence within the city of Vancouver. The task force has a mandate to target people and groups involved in the Lower Mainland gang conflict. We also investigate the possession, trafficking and manufacturing of firearms.
We use a combination of proactive and reactive investigations to target those committing gang violence and react to incidents of gang violence in our community. For example, we've developed a protocol that allows us to proactively target gang members who we believe are involved in planning homicides. Since May of last year, this technique has allowed us to disrupt and prevent seven gang-related homicides before they could occur.
The Lower Mainland gang conflict is an ongoing conflict that involves approximately 48 gangs in the Lower Mainland area of British Columbia. These 48 gangs have divided themselves into three factions that are currently in conflict with each other. In 2021, across the region, the Lower Mainland gang conflict resulted in 46 homicides—70% of which were shootings—and 11 non-fatal shootings.
To give some context to the firearms work that the VPD has done, in 2021, the VPD seized or had surrendered over 1,500 firearms and replica firearms. To date in 2022, approximately 76 firearms have been seized or surrendered to the VPD. Since May 2021, the task force has seized over 30 firearms directly related to the gang conflict, six of which have been identified as privately made firearms or “ghost guns”. In 2021, firearm trace requests were submitted by the VPD for 60 investigations. Out of those, 26 firearms were found to have originated in Canada, 21 were found to have originated in the United States and 26 were not able to be traced to a known source.
The VPD also participates in gang violence prevention programs. We refer people involved in the gang conflict to community-based programs that provide support for people to leave gangs before they become the victims of violence. As an example of this, the combined forces special enforcement unit of British Columbia has an “end gang life” program through which they provide support to gang members to attempt to help them leave that lifestyle. The VPD also has two uniformed gang crime unit teams that are tasked with going out and having direct contact with gang members. They create professional relationships with these gang members and attempt to identify suitable candidates for referral to community-based treatment programs.
Based on my experience leading firearms investigations and gang violence investigations, I've identified some current trends that I believe are relevant to the committee.
For example, one of the trends we're seeing out here in Vancouver right now is the use of privately made firearms or “ghost guns”. During the gang conflict, we're seeing more ghost guns, specifically in the hands of people who are involved in active murder conspiracies or people who are believed to be working as hired contract killers. Ghost guns can be 3-D printed or modified from what's called a Polymer80 handgun. Specific styles of high-quality airsoft handguns can also be easily converted into fully functioning firearms. Ghost guns can also be composed of multiple parts from other firearms, resulting in a firearm that has multiple serial numbers on it. All of these factors mean these firearms cannot be traced through traditional systems.
Modern 3-D printing materials can produce a durable firearm, capable of shooting hundreds of rounds without a failure. For example, one of my teams recently completed an investigation in which we executed search warrants on a residential home. Inside this home, we located a sophisticated firearms manufacturing operation capable of producing 3-D printed firearms. They had firearm suppressors and they were completing airsoft conversions—converting airsoft pistols into fully functioning firearms.
Another trend we're dealing with is the use of high-capacity magazines. Magazines are modified to accept more than the lawfully allowed five rounds of ammunition. These magazines allow for more shots to be fired without the user having to pause to reload. High-capacity magazines can be manufactured by altering lawfully purchased magazines, but also through 3-D printing.
We're also noticing a trend with an increase in prohibited firearms accessories. We're seeing a growth in the use and possession of suppressors, which reduce the sound of a shot. Suppressors are prohibited in Canada but can be purchased through the United States, where they're lawfully allowed to be purchased, and then illegally imported into Canada. They can also be obtained through like items, such as an item called a solvent trap, which can be easily converted into a suppressor for a firearm.
Finally, we're noticing that people are manufacturing suppressors from lawfully obtained components, such as basic metals, and using 3-D printers to manufacture parts that are used to suppress the sound of a shot.