Pubdate: Wed, 07 Nov 2007 Source: Montreal Gazette (CN QU) Copyright: 2007 The Gazette, a division of Southam Inc. Contact: http://www.canada.com/montreal/montrealgazette/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/274 STREET GANGS GET QUICK ON TRIGGER More Gun Incidents. Police Say They Need Help From Public to Fight Local Crime Street gangs operating in the city's western districts are becoming more violent and are using handguns more often to commit crimes, Montreal police said yesterday. The number of homicides linked to street gangs has jumped to seven in 2007 from none in 2005. Attempted murders have risen to nine this year from just one in 2006. As well, the number of crimes known to have been committed by street gang members using handguns have risen to 51 this year from 33 in 2005. Of the seven gang-related homicides this year, charges have been laid in two cases, said police Commander Michele St-Onge, who is overseeing the battle against street gangs in western Montreal. Police can't combat the street gang problem on their own, St-Onge said. She made a public appeal for people to come forward with information about gangs operating in their neighbourhood. "Witnesses and victims (of crimes) need to talk," she said yesterday during a media briefing at the police department's western region's operational centre in St. Laurent. "We need information." Police are increasingly talking to elementary schoolchildren about street gang activity, because investigators are seeing children as young as 10 being recruited to sell drugs, St-Onge said. "They are selling drugs or letting it be known that a certain gang operates in that area," St-Onge said. Anyone who wants to report street-gang activity can call Info-Crime at 514-393-1133. All calls are confidential. - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake