Vancouver police target gang violence

Vancouver police have put together a new 20-member gang squad following a string of four shootings in the past few weeks, two of them fatal.

The announcement follows the latest shootingTuesday night, which saw a man shot three times near Victory Square at Pender and Cambie Streets.

Police say the man will survive the shooting, which was not random. They call it a "targeted hit" related to the city's drug trade.

Insp. Kash Heed said Wednesday that the new unit will aim at cutting down gang violence.

"This intiative will targetplayers involved ingang behaviour and gun play, and is designed to reduce the gun violence in the city."

Heed said the team will focus on what he called "hot spots,"including the Granville Street bar strip on weekends.

Police plan to be more visible, and will carry out more vehicle checks to identify those who carry guns and have affiliations to gangs.

Heed alsonoted that drive-by shootings are happening almost every night around the Lower Mainland, with most of them going unreported.

He saidthe number of gun seizures in Vancouver was up in 2006, and expect to take even more guns off the street as part of their renewed effort to stem gun-related violence.