Alberta aims to keep armoured vehicles used by gangs off streets

Alberta aims to keep armoured vehicles used by gangs off streets

www.google.com

Police in Alberta will soon be able to seize beefed-up armoured vehicles used by gang members if they believe they are a risk to traffic safety.

The provincial government has amended a traffic law effective July 1 to allow officers to request a safety inspection of the vehicles.

The law, which Justice Minister Alison Redford said is the first of its kind in the country, will put a dent in the ability of gangs to drive vehicles that are "equipped for battle."

"Gangs have been known to use armoured vehicles in their operations, mainly for protection from rival gangs," Redford said W

(visit the link for the full news article)

I've lived in some areas of the U.S. overrun by gang acticity but I've never encountered or heard of this A-Team armored car tactic being used by street gangs.

Can a Canadian member shed some light on this? Explain the pervasiveness of the practice? What Canadian gang culture is like comparable to U.S. gang culture?

www.google.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

Nor have I ever heard of this in real life outside of the season finale of CSI: NY.

Do they mean armored vehicles as in M113 APCs or armored vehicles as in Escalades/Suburbans/(fill in name of vehicle) with armor plating like what VIPs, government officials, etc use?

I live in Edmonton, the capital of Alberta. and this news leaves me slightly befuddled. With all the issues in my cities police service(stemming from underfunding, which I'm sure is not surprising), I'm wondering why they're wasting resources on the very idea.
I've never seen "beefed up armoured" gang vehicles.
Granted, I can see them in places like the Native reserves in this province, who suffer from a multitude of gang related issues.
However, in the cities, this is a waste of time. More of a joke, really.

Those cars don't exist here, atleast not in an especially threatening manner.

I live in Alberta.

The problem isn't them running around in APC's. they are buying those BMW's that have bullet proof glass and armoured panels in the doors. They also make them on big SUV chasis too. They look like normal vehicles but are armoured to take small arms fire. I know a lot of corporate types are concerned about the law because it will make it very hard for legitimate citizens to have one of these types of cars without having it registered as such and therefore being in a database.

I know this was kicked off by the seizure of a dozen in Edmonton last year all in the garage of a house owned by one of the major gangs.

Basicly we have the Hell's Angels, and then a few different asian gangs from different ethnic groups. There are a few other smaller ethnic based gangs but you don't hear about them much.

So far this year there have been about 10-12 killings in Calgary that are from gangs shooting up restaurants frequented by other gangs members. It got bad enough one week that a friend joked about staying away from Korean restauraunts. It's not as bad as it was in february/march.. but...

Last month there was a news article about how the cops in the city busted a gang house and siezed some small arms. My wife and me laughted at that. They showed the table with all the 'small arms' on it at the press confrence. Since when does a LAW rocket and a belt fed machine gun (M60 I think) count as small arms.

reply to post by exile1981


I see. Somehow, my brain painted a strange picture of super cars.

The more I think of it, I suppose I have seen an increase in the nicer, beefy style of cars, but I wouldn't have thought they were bullet-proof and what-not. I guess I should pay more attention before blabbing, hey?

Atleast there is someone with more intelligence than I to set the facts straight.

[edit on 25-6-2009 by TheAmazingK]

reply to post by exile1981

Since when does a LAW rocket and a belt fed machine gun (M60 I think) count as small arms.

They probably also got them from American Gun stores too!

Crazy stuff, it isn't like the gangs are going to pay attention to the law. I mean they are running around with machine guns and rockets, those are illegal. Now they will probably just use them on the police. :shk:

Sounds more of a way for he police to seize armored vehicles for the departments use.

I live in Calgary, Alberta, and the gang problem has gotten out of hand here. As well as BC.

A lot of people in other parts of the city are pretty oblivious to it, but I live in an area that has been harder hit by the gang activity, and I see some of these gang members every day unfortunately. In the last year Calgary SWAT took care of a gang related hostage situation two doors down, and there was a murder at the restaurant across the street.

It doesn't surprise me that the gangs are using armored vehicles. Probably because of recent drivebys where they pull up to a vehicle and open shooting.

I know that some of the gangs are getting insanely ahead of the police and ability of the city to do anything. The members of the gangs train at shooting ranges, use methods to track police, have their little cousins recruit at schools, etc.

One gang called the FOB Killers has been troublesome. FOB = Fresh off the Boat. There is some triad activity. And another gang I've heard of in Vancouver called the Big Circle Boys, have their start from the Red Guard in China.

The killers in these gangs are usually never caught. Don't think any of them other then the biker gangs wear any uniforms or make themselves known.

Originally posted by thisguyrighthere


I've lived in some areas of the U.S. overrun by gang acticity but I've never encountered or heard of this A-Team armored car tactic being used by street gangs.

Can a Canadian member shed some light on this? Explain the pervasiveness of the practice? What Canadian gang culture is like comparable to U.S. gang culture?

www.google.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

Hey they aren't referring to any kind of super car. The cars appear exactly as they would off the show room floor. They have just been fitted with bullet proof glass and armored panels.

I don't know why they are making this seem so new in Alberta, they have been seizing bullet proof vehicles from gangsters in BC for some time now. The bullet proof aspect is completely irrelevant considering they are now using high powered rifles with hollow tip bullets to assassinate each other, which would slice the armor like butter.

Here's an article about some gangsters from BC known as the bacon brothers. One of them recently went down for multiple murder chargers, and the other two brothers are likely going to be arrested and charged with something sometime soon.

But yah, they have been seizing these cars all year. A high profile gang member was shot down outside of a grocery store in my town this year, his bullet proof Lincoln truck was in the shop at the time, it didn't matter cause of the high powered rifles with hollow tips. They showered I think over 40 bullets into his truck.

reply to post by king9072


My understanding of physics and ballistics may be off but wouldnt a hollow point decrease a projectiles penetration ability?

Anyway, this sounds more like a mafioso type issue rather than a crips or bloods type issue. Is this the suit-wearing organized crime type gang phenomenon that has taken root in Canada or is it the less refined ghetto-trash, crack-slinging type gang behavior that is so prevalent in the states?

Originally posted by Nickmare
I live in Calgary, Alberta, and the gang problem has gotten out of hand here. As well as BC.

Hi neighbour.

I noticed that they want mostly to sieze them for safety reasons. I think that depending on where they get them modified they may not have adequite brakes for all the added weight and could dangerous in a crash to other vehicles.

Brooks is a bad place for other gangs too, lots of them, especially given the small population there.

Originally posted by thisguyrighthere

Anyway, this sounds more like a mafioso type issue rather than a crips or bloods type issue. Is this the suit-wearing organized crime type gang phenomenon that has taken root in Canada or is it the less refined ghetto-trash, crack-slinging type gang behavior that is so prevalent in the states?

More like asian gangs. Young men, trendy clothes fast cars and gold jewelry. Dealing in drugs, protitution and I've heard smuggling.

reply to post by exile1981


Ah, Asian gangs. Canada does have a pretty large Asian immigrant population, doesnt it? Makes sense.

I don't know for how many years this has been a viable threat in Canada but if it doesnt get nipped immediately it will only grow like a cancer. You can't get rid of it. If Canadian politicians act anything like American politicians the answer to the gang problem will be to place restrictions and bans on everyone who is not involved in gang activity.

I dont know what's worse. Living with gang nonsense or living under a government pretending to be dealing with gang nonsense.

Originally posted by thisguyrighthere


Can a Canadian member shed some light on this? Explain the pervasiveness of the practice? What Canadian gang culture is like comparable to U.S. gang culture?

This is propaganda.

If they can take a vehicle from a group of men - they can take it from your grandmother and her friends...

There is no 'freedom of association' in Canada nor is their 'freedom of speech'.

*We even have thought-crime tribunals here - just like the Soviet Union.

Wouldt it make mroe sene , to rmeove the gangs themselves off the streets, and not thier precious automobiles??? Yhis is ONE wierd law

WTF? Am I the only one who sees the irony in this?
They are going to take ARMORED CARS off the Road because of SAFETY reasons?
Well if you ask me, an Armored car seems pretty damn safe.
They cant say its for the safety of other cars either because there are many bigger and more lethal objects that are on the road everyday from the industrial workers.
I think its pretty damned funny that they have to resort to this low level to fight crime.
If you are going to take armored vehicles off the roads, than that should mean that all politicians equipped with the same features should be banned from driving them too.
Nobody is more special over the next guy, especially politicians.
If you take away peoples privledges you have to take away EVERYONES privledges.

Originally posted by thisguyrighthere
reply to post by exile1981

 

Ah, Asian gangs. Canada does have a pretty large Asian immigrant population, doesnt it? Makes sense.

I don't know for how many years this has been a viable threat in Canada but if it doesnt get nipped immediately it will only grow like a cancer. You can't get rid of it. If Canadian politicians act anything like American politicians the answer to the gang problem will be to place restrictions and bans on everyone who is not involved in gang activity.

I dont know what's worse. Living with gang nonsense or living under a government pretending to be dealing with gang nonsense.

Wrong. You can eliminate gangs, all you have to do is legalize all their rackets like the ones that rhyme with rugs. Thats the only way, as long as anything is illegal, there will always be people willing to take the risk to traffic it. Thats the bottom line, look at what prohibition did in the 30's, and during that time, as illegal alcohol ran rampant, alchohol related deaths and health problems shot through the roof.

America doesn't have a rug problem, it has a stupid law problem.

reply to post by king9072


That's what I was getting at. Sorry if my post wasnt clear.

Originally posted by thisguyrighthere
reply to post by exile1981

 

Ah, Asian gangs. Canada does have a pretty large Asian immigrant population, doesnt it? Makes sense.

I don't know for how many years this has been a viable threat in Canada but if it doesnt get nipped immediately it will only grow like a cancer. You can't get rid of it. If Canadian politicians act anything like American politicians the answer to the gang problem will be to place restrictions and bans on everyone who is not involved in gang activity.

The asian gangs are very well established, so much so the biker gangs like the Hells Angels give them a wide berth. The asian gangs keep their business to themselves and hardly have anything brought to the laws attention. I played football in my younger days with a asian gang member who had been shot 5 times (scars to prove it) and was treated in a basement by a asian doctor instead of going to the hospital. Thats how "in house" they are.

The bullet proof cars are just another type of "bling". So much illegal money to spend and only so many fingers to put rings on.
These type of cars are so rare that to commit a drive-by with one will pretty much land you in jail instantly simply because they are so rare and identifiable.

This isn't about the gangs. It's about police safety over civilian safety. If the police have the power to take these vehicles away from everyone then it is just one less thing they have to worry about when it comes down to a shoot out. The gang angle was just sugaring it up so the act would get passed.

It's to bad. In Canada it is illegal to use force to defend yourself or others. Instead you have to wait 15 minutes for he the police to come. Now it seems we are being stripped of our right to defend ourselves passively.