BCCLA worries ‘get-tough’ gang approach could cross a line
Posted April 26, 2013 11:27 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
SURREY (NEWS1130) – Police want to get tougher on gangsters, but the BC Civil Liberties Association is warning about crossing the line.
The group is concerned about how far police will go.
Police want to make names public and treat gang members as prolific offenders; it’s part of a “get tough” approach, announced after Wednesday evening’s targeted shooting in South Surrey.
But Josh Paterson of the BCCLA wonders whether that means people could get caught up just because they’re suspected.
“There may be people who are not gang members who are caught up in this. There may be people who haven’t done anything illegal at all who wind up finding it difficult to get services, to rent apartments, to get jobs.”
Paterson says police have to work within the bounds of the law, even when cracking down on gangs. “It’s not ‘pull out every stop.’ There’s a constitution, and people have certain rights.”
“Police don’t just have unlimited power to do whatever it is they feel like. They have to work within the bounds of the law.”
