CFN – The Ottawa Police Service conducted two simultaneous projects this year to address gun violence, gangs and drugs and laid a total of 254 charges and arrested 27 people involved with gang activities or organized crime.
The two projects – Karma and Calamity — were created to respond to street gang criminal activity, specifically firearms and drug offences.
Project KARMA, led by the Guns and Gangs Unit, began in June 2014 and ran until the end of November, with the objective to address street gangs brazen firearms violence. It resulted in 14 people charged, 137 charges laid, 4 firearm seized, drugs with an estimated value of $61,500 and approximately $5,000 in Canadian currency (see Appendix A for details).
Project CALAMITY, led by the Drug Unit, began in June 2014 as a spinoff of KARMA and ran until August. It targeted people in the drug trade who were suspected of having access to or using firearms to commit offenses. It resulted in 13 people charged, 117 charges laid, 3 guns seized, 400+ rounds of ammunition, drugs with an estimated value of $24,000 and approximately $45,000 in Canadian and U.S. currency (see Appendix B for details).
“Street gang activity and the associated gun violence we have seen are a concern for our community and the Ottawa Police,” said Insp. Chris Renwick. “We continue to proactively respond to emerging criminal activity to address the concerns of residents and hold people accountable.”
“The Ottawa Police continues with enforcement and suppression projects that are a key pillar of our community’s Gang Strategy to make our City safer,” said Insp. Renwick. “Increased patrols, proactive policing efforts and investigations continue to focus on street gang activity and recent shootings in Ottawa.”