Quebec invests $7.25 million to fight street gangs

The Quebec government will spend $7.25 millionover the next three years to fight rising street gang crime with the bulk of the money going to the city of Montreal's police department, Premier Jean Charest announced Friday.

It's part of a government initiative to get a handle on street gangs that Montreal police say are responsible for at least eight deaths and 58 attempted murders in 2006 alone.

Montreal police will receive $6 million, which will be used in part to put more officers on the street, said the force's chief, Yvan Delorme.

"We put a lot of visibility in downtown Montreal to keep the people secure downtown, and the visitors were very secure when they came this summer,"Delorme said in a press conference held in Montreal on Friday."We want to continue that action."

About 23 community groups across the province that run outreach programs for children and teens will share the rest of the money.

Some of them are not impressed with the money, which they say will do little to address the root causes of street gangs among young people.

"It's only money to make your organization run. But you cannot develop specific action or a new action to prevent the problem," said Pierreson Vaval, director of Equipe RDP, a youth organization in Rivires-des-Prairies, in Montreal's east end.

Community groups could make more of a difference on the ground if theyhad the means tohire more street workers, Vaval said. Early contact with youth vulnerable to street gangs is the best way to prevent them from getting involved in criminal activity.