After two Capital Region police departments released data related to gang-related calls and files, Saanich police confirmed an emerging trend of an uptick in gang activity for the south Island.
In June, the Greater Victoria School District requested data relating to gang activity from four Greater Victoria police departments for further information as the school board, police, First Nations and politicians continue their debate as to whether or not to re-implement school police liaison officers (SPLO).
It's been reported over the past two years that there has been an uptick in gangs recruiting within local schools, including the Brothers Keeper, a gang originating from B.C.'s Lower Mainland with ties to murders and drug trafficking.
According to a letter from Saanich PD to the school board, dated Sept. 4, another, lesser-known gang called the Glory Boys has been named in several police files as well.
"[Glory Boys] would be a group of individuals, in this case some of them were youth, who got together and were committing criminal offences. They did fit the definition of a gang pursuant to the Criminal Code, but we wouldn't put them at the level of, perhaps, other gangs that the community knows about," said Insp. Damian Kowalewich of the Saanich Police.
Data provided by Saanich police showed that between the start of 2021 and June 7, 2024, there were 26 police files containing search terms 'gang,' 'school' and 'Glory Boys,' with an uptick of 22 files in 2023. In 2023 there were an additional six files relating to Brothers Keepers. There were no files containing either of the two gangs prior to 2021. The department does note, however, that text pages referring to gangs may or may not involve verified gang activity.
"We're reacting to that, and we're seeing this emerging trend," Kowalewich said in a phone interview. "One of our strategic objectives is to engage and prevent and educate youth, prevent crime with youth, and when we see these statistics jump, and we do see data involving youth, in particular schools in Saanich, we respond accordingly with the needed resources."
Between 2023 and the first half of 2024, there has been a total of 26 gang intelligence files documented by Saanich police, almost as many as the 27 files between 2015 and 2022. The uptick in 2022, which saw 22 files, was related to one criminal organization that originated in the Vancouver area according to police.
"The researcher found that the Major Crime Unit had been involved in 35 investigations, from mid-2022 to date, that were associated with gang activity in Saanich schools," noted the September letter, also mentioning that more than 10 youth were identified as being involved in gang activity associated with schools over the same period. The files included a stabbing, victim and witness intimidation, assault, break and enter, threats and drug trafficking.
The Oak Bay Police Department report they had one file involving gang recruitment or other criminal activity involving youth in 2015 and two files investigated in 2023.
"It's alarming to see the number of files climb, but it's actually equally, if not more alarming, the nature of the files and the nature of the incidents within those files," said Kowalewich. "That's informative to our desire to move forward in a process that ultimately could see SPLOs return to schools and create a safer space for students."
Since 2023, in partnership with the Capital Regional District, local police departments have been holding educational gang seminars for parents and students, which have seen large numbers of participants.
On Dec. 6, Education Minister Lisa Beare appointed a special advisor to work with police and the school board to develop a safety plan for schools, and Kowalewich says they have already been working with the advisor in an effort to create safer schools.
"We continue to take proactive measures to communicate with the public on emerging trends and issues, finding ways to get into the lives of youth and let them know about dangerous and emerging trends that are happening in Saanich and the CRD because right now we're out of School District 61, and we need to find ways to be proactive to communicate with them," he said.
