Connection between rising temperatures and rising crime is a myth: police

By Simon Druker

Today is the first full day of summer, a time of year often associated with a spike in violent crime linked to gangs. But should really expect more bullets to fly over the next few months?

You need only look back at that shooting-filled summer in Surrey just a couple years ago to think sure, warmer weather means more simmering gang conflicts erupt on the street.

“There is no specific increase actually during the months of the summer compared to the rest of the year,” says Staff Sgt. Brenda Winpenny, with the province’s Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit (CFSEU) which handles gang crime across BC.

She says it’s just a myth that summer equals more violence.

“Analyzing the last nine years of data, March followed by January consistently seems to be the highest average number of gang-related homicides or attempted homicides,” says Winpenny.

That data looks at crime across the province.

“Over 90 law enforcement agencies around the province are a part of and contribute to the Provincial Tactical Enforcement Priority Initiative (PTEP) resulting in the most collaborative, analytical and information-sharing strategy as it relates gang and organized crime targets that we have had ever in BC,” says Winpenny.

So while she understands the common perception, almost a decade of numbers flies in the face of that perception.

“It (data) really doesn’t indicate that the warm weather experienced in the summer months throughout the province seems to translate into any higher-than-normal gang incidents,” says Winpenny.

She adds the unit is not aware of any major conflicts in the gang world right now that are close to exploding.

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