![]() ![]() Police agencies and Aboriginal organizations indicate that there is a growing percentage of female gang membership in western Canadian provinces, including British Columbia (12%), Manitoba (10%) and Saskatchewan (9%) Footnote 13.The largest proportion of youth gang members are African Canadian (25%), followed by First Nations (21%) and Caucasian (18%) Footnote 12.Most (39%) are between 16 and 18 years old Footnote 11. Almost half (48%) of all youth gang members are under the age of 18.For the country as a whole, the vast majority of youth gang members are male (94%) Footnote 10.Saskatchewan is second (28 youth gangs and 1,315 members), followed by British Columbia (102 youth gangs and 1,027 members) Footnote 9. Ontario has the highest number of youth gangs and youth gang members in absolute terms, with 216 youth gangs and 3,320 youth gang members.Canada has 434 youth gangs with roughly 7,000 members nationally. ![]() The Survey asked police officers to estimate the number of youth gangs in their jurisdiction. Although not to the same extent as in the United States, comparisons between the two countries show that almost twice the percentage of jurisdictions in the United States report active youth gangs as compared with those in Canada (see Table 1). Results of the Canadian Police Survey on Youth Gangs and other sources suggest that youth gangs are a growing concern in many Canadian jurisdictions. They are active across the country in both large and small communities Footnote 8. Youth gangs are not just an urban phenomenon. Results of the Canadian Police Survey on Youth Gangs Some seek excitement others are looking for prestige, protection, a chance to make money or a sense of belonging Footnote 7. The reasons for joining a youth gang are various. Furthermore, youth who display higher levels of previous delinquency are more likely to remain in the gang Footnote 6. Many youth who join gangs have also been identified as youth who are using drugs and already involved in serious and violent crime. However, youth at risk of joining gangs or already involved in gangs tend to be from groups that suffer from the greatest levels of inequality and social disadvantage Footnote 4.Īboriginal youth are more vulnerable to gang recruitment and organized crime than non-Aboriginal youth and they are increasing in numbers and influence in Western Canada Footnote 5. The 2002 Canadian Police Survey on Youth Gangs and other sources suggest that youth gang members cut across many ethnic, geographic, demographic and socio-economic contexts Footnote 3. "An organized group of adolescents and/or young adults who rely on group intimidation and violence, and commit criminal acts in order to gain power and recognition and/or control certain areas of unlawful activity Footnote 2." Who joins youth gangs? The Montréal Police Service's definition of youth gang explicitly incorporates the anti-social and delinquent behaviours that are distinctive of youth gangs. There are other important characteristics of a youth gang that help us to understand the phenomenon.
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