Skip to content
  1. Home
  2. Local News

Delta police turning up heat on gangsters

The VST is managed by Sergeant Jim Ingram, Officer in Charge of the Public Safety Operations at the DPD
Sandor Gyarmati
Sandor Gyarmati
delta bc police gang squad violence supression team
Delta police on Twitter last week noted ‘During a recent traffic stop, the Violence Suppression Team seized a spring loaded knife off a driver known to police. He informed us he was in the process of leaving town, as there was too much heat in the Lower Mainland. We don’t think he was referring to the weather’Delta police

Delta police have been turning up the heat on gangsters.

Chief Neil Dubord last week gave the Delta Police Board an update on the Violence Suppression Team (VST), which was implemented in mid-May following the brazen daytime shooting of Provincial Corrections Officer and Surrey resident Bikramdeep Randhawa outside a North Delta mall and other gang-related slayings in the Lower Mainland.

Making good use of their automatic license plate readers, the team have had a high-visibility presence in the community as they crack down on known gangsters and associates.

“The DPD are proud of its nimbleness and ability to adapt to emerging community concerns,” Dubord noted in his report to the board.

The team also uses the Traffic Safety Dog Unit as an essential part of its interdiction and high visibility strategy. 

Below are the results of the VST’s efforts from May 19 to June 15:

Initiative/Action                                                                                     Total

Self-Initiated (Proactive) Files                                                                  66

Assist Files (Patrol or Outside Agency)                                                   19

Arrested or Detained                                                                               75

Reports to Crown Counsel (Criminal Charges)                                       12

Weapon or Drug Seizures                                                                       22

IPP Ejections or Preventions (parking lot stops, prior to entry)     11 people

Dubord said the VST is also responsible for the operational implementation of the Inadmissible Patron Program and several premise checks occur every shift, primarily in North Delta. 

The VST has also been working with and sharing information with all Lower Mainland and provincial uniformed gang enforcement and suppression teams.

“The team has taken on a challenging task and made tremendous progress in establishing their presence in areas know to be frequented by gang members and associates. An additional benefit of the VST is the sharing of information and intelligence with the DPD officers in the Patrol section,” Dubord stated.