‘Caught up in a lifestyle’: Youth-focused Winnipeg police task force releases stats
Winnipeg police have released the findings of a report from Project Surge, a task force established in the spring to tackle youth crime.
The team has identified 117 youths who police say are responsible for 1,795 police incidents — as accused or victims — since 2023. The incidents include everything from homicides and serious assaults to missing persons reports.
Of those incidents, 519 have occurred since Project Surge began in March.
Police said a big part of the project is doing regular compliance checks on offenders who are subject to court orders — a process that has led to 150 arrests of identified youths since the project began, and 435 since January of last year.
![Click to play video: 'Winnipeg police tackle spate of violent youth crime'](https://i2.wp.com/media.globalnews.ca/videostatic/news/7tvm71ni4p-b513uqd4zr/YOUTH_POLICE_thumbnail_1280x720.jpg?w=1040&quality=70&strip=all)
Kent Dueck, executive director of Inner City Youth Alive, told 680 CJOB’s Connecting Winnipeg that create a real solution, there need to be supports for these young offenders beyond the justice system.
“I do think we have to incarcerate youth, but we have to have a much more nuanced approach,” Dueck said.
“There’s individuals that commit crimes, and the reasons for those crimes are so varied. I think we have to get a little smarter and look at the individual cases and do a better job of assessing somebody’s readiness for release.”
Breaking the cycle of crime is something that can be done, Dueck said. It’s something he’s seen first-hand through his organization’s Step-Up Construction job program.
“When these youth are caught up in these violent cycles, they’re caught up in a lifestyle.
“Unless you can offer them an alternative to that lifestyle, you’re going to have this turnstile approach to arresting and releasing these individuals…. I just feel that our problems are more complex than ever.”
The Winnipeg police board meets Friday to discuss the results of the report.
![Click to play video: 'Series of serious crimes committed by Winnipeg youths in care, police say'](https://i2.wp.com/media.globalnews.ca/videostatic/news/m37mud6pjl-8xrtye8nw0/youths_031424.jpg?w=1040&quality=70&strip=all)
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