Rise in illegal drug trade 'driving factor' behind increase in gun violence, police say

Gun violence is the new reality on the streets of Winnipeg, says the head of the city's new guns and gangs unit.

"Gangs have had a foothold in Winnipeg for a long time and I wouldn't say their numbers are increasing," said Insp. Max Waddell of the Winnipeg Police Service's organized crime unit, which oversees the new unit.

"But the number of firearms that they are in possession of to protect their properties and themselves … that is most certainly on the rise," he said in an interview with CBC's Marcy Markusa on Information Radio.

Fatal shootings have claimed six lives in Winnipeg so far in 2019 — double the number of gun homicides in all of 2018.

Last year Winnipeg police took 1750 guns off the streets. Even with more than 400 of them coming from a gun amnesty, it's a significant jump compared with the 773 they seized in 2016.

The frequency at which police encounter guns has caused them to be more cautious in their investigations but Waddell says with more shootings comes more fear from the public.

The fear is "much more real than it has been in the past because of the number of incidents … the homicide count that we've had this year and the number of firearms that were involved," he said.

"I think people are really starting to take note of the danger that's attached to that."

Guns tied to drug trade

The guns and gangs unit, created earlier this year, is folding in officers from the street crime unit. Waddell says while organized crime investigations are typically more long term and target higher levels of crime, the new unit will be hitting the street.

"The guns and gangs unit was designed to act quickly on information, infiltrate and/or disrupt criminal groups that we would have knowledge that would be in possession of illicit drugs and or firearms," he said.

Waddell says as recently as five years ago drug investigations would only occasionally include firearms. That is no longer the case.

"Sadly, I can say it's almost every time we conduct a drug investigation that there's some form of firearm that's attached to these drug dealers," he said.

With an increase in illicit drugs in the city comes an increase in guns, Waddell says. Drug dealers are not only looking to protect their trade but a rise in methamphetamine use also leads to paranoia, he says , which magnifies their desire for protection.

"I do fear that with the increases in illicit drugs that we continue to see, that is the driving factor behind all of this gun violence," Waddell said.

"Individuals feel that need that they have to have firearms to protect their trade, and it's going to be some time, I think, before we see any massive reductions in what we're currently seeing."

New unit to track guns

Guns and gangs will also be working to determine where all the guns are coming from, Waddell says.

"We have our suspicions," he said. "Traditionally, most firearms have come from break-and-enters, not only within the city but also in rural areas.

"We know that there are trafficking rings that do bring guns into our city [that] are sold or exchanged for illicit drugs."

The new unit will also be turning attention to another suspected channel for guns,  the legal market, Waddell says.

"Individuals who have legal acquisition licences are going to firearm shops, buying these firearms and then putting them in the hands of illegal individuals," he said.

"We call that straw purchasers, and that is also another aspect of our new unit: We're going to be investigating that in much more detail to try and determine exactly where these firearms are coming from."

Forensic resources added

Tracing the source of Winnipeg's gun problem in the past has been hindered by a lack of resources, Waddell says.

In 2017, the federal government dedicated $327 million toward the fight against guns and gangs, funding the Winnipeg Police Service has been able to tap.

New members and forensic specialists have been hired to trace where weapons originate, Waddell says.

"What we've been able to do is hire additional resources that can close the loop in that investigational analysis."

Police are also seeing a broader range of weapons. Traditionally, police see far more long guns than handguns, by a ratio of about 10-1.

In recent years police have started to see more assault rifles and homemade guns, also known as zip guns.

"It's a changing landscape of the different firearms that are present on our streets," Waddell said.

How well police handle that new landscape will be measured in how successful the new unit is at halting the flow of guns and disrupting the flow of drugs.