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Seizing guns during an investigation has become an expectation for members of Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams.
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Staff Sgt. Jim Greene, in charge of the Edmonton organized crime unit at ALERT, said it was rare to see guns when he began his career in the drug investigation world nearly 30 years ago.
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“Every investigation we have now, if we don’t know there’s firearms involved, we assume that (they are) because it’s probably true. There’s probably a firearm within reach,” said Greene.
“We’d be silly not to think that at the end of the day, and unsafe as well. That’s just the reality of the experience from our investigations.”
ALERT works with law enforcement groups across the province, including the RCMP and Edmonton police. In 2021, ALERT seized 126 crime guns, while another 3,350 crime guns were seized across Alberta. That’s on par with totals from recent years, if not growing, said Greene.
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Any gun used in a crime is considered a crime gun, which represent about 40 per cent of all guns seized in Alberta, he said.
Greene said he couldn’t specifically address increased firearms activity in Edmonton recently, but suggested that a rise in guns on the streets is likely a contributing factor to the rise of gun violence in Alberta.
“If they have them, they’re going to use them and there doesn’t seem to be any concern by the organized crime side of things, and the organized crime groups to use them,” he said. “At the end of the day, they will and I don’t think it’s going to slow down.”
When organized crime groups see their rivals possessing guns, that prompts them to also seek firearms, he said.
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“These groups are sophisticated enough that they know they need to have guns for themselves as well. They’re learning criminals and as the time progresses they see the other group they’re rivalled against have guns, they better have guns as well,” he said.
Greene said ALERT seeks to suppress violence through drug enforcement and by working with other local law enforcement groups toward the common goal of public safety and tackling organized crime.
The rise of gun violence in Edmonton
A 40-year-old man was shot dead last week in central Edmonton.
An autopsy on Wednesday confirmed the fatal shooting of Yakuba Usman Saibu, who police found wounded around 9:30 p.m. on Sept. 8 inside a home near 106 Avenue and 105 Street.
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It was the deadliest incident of the last month, during which Edmonton has seen a number of shootings that city police say are connected to criminal activity.
Shots were fired across the city in a string of 10 shootings in nine days, including five over the September long weekend. Staff Sgt. Eric Stewart, with the EPS guns and gangs section, told media earlier this month that eight of the shootings resulted in serious injuries and in some cases, life-threatening injuries.
He also acknowledged the steady, or increasing, trend of calls involving firearms across Canada.
Two of the shootings took place in the Whyte Avenue area early in the morning on Sept. 3.
The first shooting that day occurred around 3 a.m. with police receiving reports of shots fired near Whyte Avenue and 104 Street. Police said a woman in her 20s was shot and was taken to hospital in stable condition with serious injuries. No one was arrested at the scene.
While EPS investigated the scene, officers witnessed a confrontation between a group and a man, who opened fire into a crowd. Police said the suspect was quickly arrested and no one was injured.
Two days later, on Sept. 5, a 25-year-old man was shot and taken to hospital in stable condition after a shooting at a north Edmonton restaurant.
Alberta officers seizing more guns amid recent rise in firearms violence - Edmonton Journal
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