Police installed several surveillance cameras in Abbotsford in response to ongoing conflict between two largely South Asian youth groups.
ABOTTSFORD – Abbotsford police have set up surveillance cameras in an effort to dissuade rival mostly South Asian groups of young men from fighting with each other.
The cameras were installed in several West Abbotsford neighbourhoods this week following dozens of incidents that have caused thousands of dollars in damage to homes and vehicles since May.
Const. Ian MacDonald said the conflict involves two groups that consist of teenagers as young as 15 and men as old as 25.
“We’re not even certain they know what the conflict is about, but we certainly don’t want to see young men carted off in ambulances,” MacDonald said.
Neighbours have expressed support for the extra security measures, according to police.
There have been face-to-face confrontations but the bulk of the incidents, which started on May 11, have involved late-night property vandalism.
Some of the vehicles and residences targeted didn’t belong to people involved in the dispute, but to their family members and friends.
MacDonald said the dispute cooled down in July but sparked up again in early August.
Apart from the security cameras, Abbotsford police said they’ve responded with high-visibility patrols and coordinated meetings with community leaders and family members.
More than 25 incidents have been reported since May 11, most of them involving property damage, but police say they’re “extremely concerned” that the conflict could result in “serious injuries” either to the young men involved or their families.
Police previously said the majority of the males involved are South Asian and although the incidents primarily involve property damage, they are concerned the conflict will escalate in nature to serious injuries.
One incident involved a woman who awoke to what she thought was a car crash outside her home, MacDonald said. She rushed outside to find her Maserati smashed with what must have been a sledgehammer, MacDonald said, reported Postmedia.
“It turns out her daughter drives the Maserati on a regular basis, and she happens to be dating a guy we do believe is involved in the conflict.”
In another incident, police responded to a schoolyard after a report of a brawl to find “25 Good Samaritans who are there to break up a fight.”
Anyone with information on the conflict is asked to call police at 604-859-5225, or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 if they wish to remain anonymous.
th of � et�0����ing some people to be detained for over 10 years without charge. Since the current federal government came to power, over 85,000 migrants have been detained without charge or trial.
No One Is Illegal – Toronto along with organizers from Jane Finch Action Against Poverty (JFAAP) have been putting up posters in the area where the sweeps have happened to warn community members of arrests and inform people about their rights. More actions are planned in the days ahead.
Suzanne Narain from JFAAP adds, “Our communities are being targeted for being poor, and for the colour of our skin. We see too many cops, and not enough services. Without decent jobs, people are forced to work in these dangerous jobs as day labourers, just to put food on the table. Immigration enforcement and Toronto Police should be ashamed of themselves for tearing people away from their families.”
