Practitioner perceptions of the transportability of Operation Ceasefire to youth in gangs in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia

Gang violence, now more than ever, is fresh in the minds of British Columbians, politicians, and law enforcement entities. The coming years will see new policies and programs implemented with the aim of reducing gang-related violence, homicides, and related criminal activities. To that end, this research examines Operation Ceasefire, a program used in the United States, gauging practitioner perceptions of its applicability to youth in gangs in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia. Using a qualitative methodology, 12 key stakeholders were interviewed, each currently employed in law enforcement capacities in various municipal, provincial, and federally organized gang units. Through garnering frontline responses, this study explored whether local practitioners believe Operation Ceasefire interventions used in Boston and other American cities can be successfully implemented in the Lower Mainland. The results of this research yielded three key perceptions. Firstly, practitioners believe gangs in the Lower Mainland are fundamentally different from gangs in other parts of Canada or the United States as many gang-involved youth come from affluence, are motivated by non-traditional push and pull factors, and engage in cross-jurisdictional criminal activity over large geographic areas. Second, practitioners perceived that the Canadian legal system hinders pulling-levers style approaches, though many identified promising avenues for enforcement. Thirdly, practitioners perceive prevention and intervention activities to be important elements of a gang strategy, in addition to enforcement. These results inform policy, programs, and intervention methods that can reduce gang violence in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia and yield valuable insights into the perceptions of practitioners actively engaged in the policing of gang violence in our communities.