Canadian Police Chief Magazine/La Revue des chefs de police du Canada - Winter/Hiver 2008 - (Page 19)

for prestige, protection, and a sense of belonging.6 Unless we can address these underlying social and systemic issues, there will likely always be an endless ‘supply’ of potential gang members. Finally, there are many signiﬁcant costs associated with street gangs, both for those involved in them and for the communities in which they operate. Those involved in street gangs live under the constant threat of violence and even death. Communities exposed to street gangs experience reductions in safety, increased fear and overall threats to their quality of life. The ﬁnancial costs of enforcement and prosecution are astounding, as are those to our health care system.7 But many also beneﬁt from street gangs. For those involved, gang membership can be a very proﬁtable venture, both ﬁnancially and in terms of status gain. For groups and communities that struggle with access to legitimate means of economic opportunity, cohesion and sources of protection, gangs and organized crime can be a way to fuel their economy and provide some structure8. We also cannot ignore the fact that responding to street gangs creates and sustains many jobs within the criminal justice system and in other sectors, allowing many to build successful and proﬁtable businesses and careers. In developing a response to street gangs, there are a number of complex factors and interests that come into play, and we must consider all of them if we are to gain a true understanding of the problem. pacts. Every stage of this problem-solving process requires access to knowledge (i.e., about the factors involved in the problem and the strategies that have worked to address them), access to the skills that are necessary for successful implementation and evaluation, and enough resources to accomplish what needs to be done, as opposed to expending resources on ‘solutions’ that are selected simply because they are affordable within constrained resources. 9 FACING THE CHALLENGES OF CHANGE Making a real difference also ultimately depends on our willingness and commitment to confront the challenges that are inherent in ‘change’. There are always going to be interests that will resist change, whether internal change within an agency or external change in relation to various partners and the public. True collaborative partnerships are not easy to achieve. There are hierarchical, cultural, and politicontinued on page 20 ACQUIRING THE KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND RESOURCES WE NEED TO RESPOND EFFECTIVELY The complex nature of the problem points to the need for a solution that is just as complex. As noted above, there are many individual, relational, societal and global factors that contribute to the challenge of street gangs in Canada. The reality is that no one agency or sector has the mandate or the resources to address these on its own. Success depends on cooperation and collaboration through various ‘problem-solving partnerships’. These partnerships are necessary to identify the problem and its various dimensions, set priorities and select targets, design and implement a response and evaluate im347483_Coplogic.indd 1 WINTER/HIVER 20089:23:15 AM 19 9/22/07 http://www.coplogic.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Canadian Police Chief Magazine/La Revue des chefs de police du Canada - Winter/Hiver 2008

Canadian Police Chief Magazine/La Revue des chefs de police du Canada - Winter/Hiver 2008 Contents Message from the President Message du président Travelling Child Sexual Offenders – Is the Canadian Policing Community Prepared? Touristes pédophiles – Les policiers canadiens sont-ils prêts? By/par Michael Serapiglia The Challenge of Street Gangs in Canada: Imagining a Comprehensive Response Imaginer une réponse complète au problème des gangs de rue CACP Private Sector Liaison Committee: Working to Share Information and Best Practices Comité de liaison avec le secteur privé de l’ACCP : À l’oeuvre pour échanger les informations et les pratiques exemplaires CACP Professional Standards Subcommittee: Contributing to the Professionalism of Policing Le Sous-comité des normes professionnelles de l’ACCP : pour plus de professionnalisme dans les forces policières Canadian Police Earn International Recognition for Innovation La police canadienne, reconnue internationalement pour ses innovations Nomination Deadlines for 2008 CACP Awards Dates limites des mises en candidature aux prix 2008 de l’ACCP Buyers’ Guide Guide de l’acheteur Calendar of Events Calendrier des événements Index to Advertisers Index des annonceurs

Canadian Police Chief Magazine/La Revue des chefs de police du Canada - Winter/Hiver 2008

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