The Winnipeg Police Service (WPS) has released findings from what it calls, Project Surge, an initiative that started looking into common aspects of crime initiated by youth in the city.
According to its findings, police identified 117 youths who were responsible for 1,795 police incidents that were recorded since 2023. The youths were both suspects and victims. Of those 117 – 30 are “creating the most harm in the community.”
The incidents include missing person reports, serious assaults, weapons offences and homicides.
Of these incidents, 519 happened after March 7 of this year, when the project launched.
While over 100 youths were identified by police, Dave Dalal, the WPS superintendent of uniform operations, said the number of serious offenders was smaller.
“Even though there’s 117, I would say the vast majority of those youth are only peripheral engagements,” Dalal said. “If we look at the youth within Surge who are creating the most harm in the community, the most violent, the most incidents, there are 30.”
The ongoing initiative includes compliance checks for curfews and no-contact court orders.
Since January 2023, police have arrested the identified youth 435 times.
Despite the numbers, Dalal said there is a light at the end of the tunnel if the Manitoba government provides the identified youth with wraparound supports.
“What that gives us an opportunity to do is go to government and say it’s not a problem that can’t be achieved,” Dalal said. “There’s 30 kids that we need to focus on to make a significant impact on youth crime in the community and get them on the right path, because they need supports.
“They are victimized over and over again themselves.”
