The Toronto Police Service is launching an 11-week initiative aimed at combating gang-related gun violence, a program bankrolled by a boost to police funding announced earlier this week. Speaking to reporters Wednesday, Chief Mark Saunders said the program, dubbed Project Community Space, will be staffed by officers under the direction of the service’s guns and gangs task force. Officers’ tasks will include increased visibility in “areas frequently associated with street gangs and gun violence” and the monitoring of bail compliance, Saunders said. “I can tell you the street gang presence is a lot more sophisticated, there are more guns that are in the city, and we have to figure out how to reduce the gun violence but at the same time, not turn neighbourhoods and communities upside-down,” he said. Saunders added that while making arrests is important, crime suppression — namely, having officers in areas where police know there to be gang activity — is “critical.” “We understand what a lot of the story lines are with the street-gang subculture right now and we’ll definitely be suppressing and apprehending when it comes to that,” Saunders said. In the wake of a rash of gun violence in recent weeks — including the fatal shooting Friday of 29-year-old Kevin Reddick — Mayor John Tory announced Monday that municipal, provincial and federal governments would each pledge $1.5 million “to help fund immediate efforts to address the current gun violence.”Saunders said that money will be “immediately” used to fund the staffing, which will be an “added layer” on top of the force’s usual workforce. Saying he didn’t want to detail the “playbook,” Saunders wouldn’t reveal how many officers will be sent out or when, but said the number would fluctuate because the officers’ work will be intelligence-led.Saunders said ther ...
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