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WATCH: Province earmarks over $6M to fight gang violence, human trafficking

The grant is supported with funds forfeited to the province during criminal prosecutions

Update:

The Ontario government plans to spend more than $6 million over the next three years to help combat crime and build safer communities. 

The Proceeds of Crime Front-Line Policing Grant will be made available to 16 police services across the province to implement 21 crime prevention and community safety initiatives that help fight gun and gang violence, human trafficking, and sexual violence and harassment. 

The grant is supported with funds forfeited to the province during criminal prosecutions.

Examples of initiatives to receive funding under the Proceeds of Crime Front-Line Policing Grant include:

  • Providing training for frontline officers to help them better recognize gang activity and gather intelligence on crime;
  • Adding community patrol officers to neighbourhoods experiencing a surge in gang-related violence or activity to strengthen relationships with community members and deter at-risk youth from entering gangs;
  • Developing and implementing a diversion program to help at-risk youth exit gangs;
  • Supporting covert operations run by police, supported by victim advocates, to identify potential victims of human trafficking and hold offenders accountable;
  • Providing enhanced trauma-informed training and interview techniques for frontline officers to interact with victims in a compassionate and thoughtful way;
  • Bringing together municipal, First Nations and provincial police to improve community responses to human trafficking to help survivors access the supports they need to safely move forward with their lives; and
  • Launching comprehensive education campaigns targeting groups that are more susceptible to becoming victims of human trafficking, such as women in low-income groups, Indigenous and immigrant women, and at-risk youth.

This investment builds on Ontario's provincewide strategy to fight gun and gang violence as well as its new comprehensive strategy to combat human trafficking.

Original story

Premier Doug Ford will provide an update at 1:00 p.m. today at Queen's Park.

He will be joined by Christine Elliott, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health, and Jill Dunlop, Associate Minister of Children and Women's Issues, to make the announcement.

Village Media will carry the livestream, so stay tuned.


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