A Media Analysis of Gang-related Homicides in British Columbia from 2003 to 2013

Numerous research studies conducted in the past decade have focused on gangs and gang violence. The results from these studies have assisted law enforcement agencies in developing policies and practices to address gang-related homicides in the community. However, academics and police agencies have failed to establish a universal definition for identifying a gang, and distinguish gang-related homicides from non-gang-related homicides. Research has focused primarily on the criteria of location, risk factors and the crime patterns of gangs, but failed to explore the lesser-evaluated criteria of the stressors, motivation and intent involved with joining gangs. In some cases, the absence of concrete definitions or classifications has had a negative impact on reducing the presence of gangs and in preventing gang violence in particular geographic areas. In British Columbia, created programs have forced some gang members to move their operations into the province’s interior (MacQueen & Treble, 2011). The authors propose that there should be a universal system for defining and classifying gangs and gang-related homicides in Canada, and that police in British Columbia should reconsider their current deployment strategies to ensure they are aligned to the demonstrated violence in which gangs are involved.