News Article: November 14, 2005
Bar shootings trigger calls for ID scanners
Club owners say the technology curtails violence like the 'brazen' attack at Shark Club
Kim Bolan
Vancouver Sun
Monday, November 14, 2005
The B.C. government should make computerized identification scanners mandatory at bars and clubs to reduce violence like the brazen gangland shooting at Burnaby's Shark Club over the weekend, a leader of a club-owners' lobby group says.
Vince Campbell of BarWatch said Sunday that violent incidents in downtown Vancouver clubs have decreased significantly since many installed the scanning machines over the last two years.
Campbell said the technology is cheaper and more effective than metal detectors in that patrons must have a driver's licence scanned and a photo taken upon entering a club. The information is stored in a secure database and is only accessed by police if there is an incident requiring investigation.
"To tell you the truth, I think it is the answer in terms of creating responsible clientele. If you have got a record that can be accessed by the VPD and the RCMP by using a subpoena and a warrant . . . it doesn't take them long to track down who the most likely suspects are," Campbell said.
"People who are using it report a real decrease in violent incidents in their bar."
Staff at the Shark Club where two men were shot at point-blank range about 1 a.m. Saturday confirmed the bar does not have the identification scanning machine.
But security cameras did take several startling pictures of two Indo-Canadian men who brandished handguns, fired them several times, and then fled.
Burnaby RCMP posted the photos on their website, but provided no update Sunday about the public response to possible identifications of the men in the pictures.
The two injured men, who were specifically targeted, required surgery and were in serious condition. They are both in their mid-20s.
"Given the brazen nature of the crime, investigators are concerned that these two suspects are still at large," Cpl. Pierre Lemaitre said Saturday.
"The two males brandishing firearms were part of a group of six males. Investigators still do not have any suspect vehicle."
The shooting is just the latest in escalating street violence involving Indo-Canadian gangs.
The RCMP's Integrated Gang Task Force has a team of 60 officers tackling the Indo-Canadian organized-crime phenomenon.
The task force's Const. Shinder Kirk said Sunday the specialized team is working with Burnaby serious crime investigators on the latest shooting.
"A lot of the work that is being done must be done out of the public's eye," Kirk said.
He acknowledged that violence among Indo-Canadian gangs is increasing despite the efforts of law enforcement.
"There is a cycle of increase. I have to admit that," Kirk said. "There seems to be an increase in the number of violent acts that can be associated with Indo-Canadian crime groups."
Indo-Canadian community groups have sprouted up in response to the increasing violence. They are working with youth to steer them away from gangs. But they are also expressing frustration at the increasing violence.
Last month, Port Moody resident Laurie Tinga was lying on her couch watching TV when she was hit in the head by a bullet from a gunfight between Indo-Canadian gangsters outside. Days earlier, two gunmen opened fire in a crowded Vietnamese restaurant in a targeted hit on gangsters Balraj Duhre, 32, and his cousin Ravi Sahota, 25. Both men survived.
In the last year, 10 Indo-Canadians linked to gangs or drugs have been murdered. Most of the cases remain unsolved.
"I think the community knows it is a problem, Vancouver police Insp. Kash Heed said Sunday. "They have known it is a problem for quite some time and they are finally realizing that it may be out of control. When you look at the shooting from the weekend, I am alarmed by it, I am not surprised by it."
Heed has worked to develop his department's strategy to the gang violence, but said most of what is being done is reactive.
"We are only reacting to the symptoms of the problem with our strategies. We are not getting at the root of the problem."
Heed said the brazenness of the shooting, captured in detail on security cameras, shows many gangsters don't even care about getting caught.
"They don't care any more. They are so caught up in this lifestyle that they don't care. They think they have the power to do whatever they want whenever they want and there is going to be no consequence to their action," Heed said.
The fact that Burnaby is the site of the most recent attack could influence the municipal election.
Mayoral challenger Andrew Stewart said Sunday his party is calling for the hiring of 36 new police officers and said the current detachment is overworked.
"This shooting is the sort of thing we are concerned about," Stewart said. "There is no doubt that [gang violence] is out of control."
But Mayor Derek Corrigan said additional police would not rid Burnaby of the gang violence that is plaguing the Lower Mainland.
"The issues in the Indo-Canadian community are far more complicated than simply hiring police," Corrigan said. "We want to be out there in the Indo-Canadian community encouraging them to cooperate with police."
kbolan@png.canwest.com