NORTH BATTLEFORD - Youth and various community agencies came together last week to take part in a Gang Prevention Symposium at the Western Development Museum in North Battleford, running from March 27 to 29.
The event, hosted by the City of North Battleford, came about through the support of the Battlefords Regional Community Coalition, Concern for Youth, and Safer Schools Together.
"As a municipality, we advocate for and support programs and services to enhance the safety and well-being for community members," North Battleford Mayor Kelli Hawtin said in her opening message. "We hope this symposium provides a valuable learning opportunity and we thank you for gathering with us on Treaty 6 Territory and in the homeland of the Métis."
The first annual symposium is part of the city's commitment to ending gang violence in the Battlefords region, the City said.
About 100 youth and Elders were scheduled to take part in the March 29 sessions.
On March 27, Corporal Tyler Zrymiak, with the RCMP's Saskatchewan Enforcement Response Team (SERT) and the Warrant Enforcement Suppression Team, spoke about the current gang landscape in Saskatchewan.
He advised residents to be aware of signs of street gang presence in their neighbourhood - and look for indicators like colours, tattoos, numbers and other ways to identify people in street gangs and gang activity in their area.
"When it comes to violence and things like that, obviously there's communities that are dealing with it," Zrymiak said. "It's not something that's specific to North Battleford or really any community. It's something we're all dealing with."
He encourages people to take steps and alert police and Crime Stoppers of suspicious activities when they see anything, which is a way to help make their communities safer.
"You can talk to the police and you can give that information, because when we have that information, it allows us to take those more deliberate, focused actions to deal with those individuals," Zrymiak said.
Zrymiak noted there have been improvements in recent years, with the level of violence decreasing, as a good sign, through the work of SERT in the community.
"I know years ago, when I was here on behalf of the Crime Reduction Team, when I worked with in North Battleford, there were times where there was a shooting almost every day for a month," he said. "Those are things that we're not necessarily seeing anymore. I think that really goes to the work that's being done by the North Battleford Detachment, the members here, and just the RCMP and the province as a whole, and all of our partners here as well."
