Youth gangs in Canada: What do we know? - National Crime Prevention Centre (NCPC)

Youth gangs in Canada: What do we know?

Youth gangs in Canada (PDF 203KB) 2007 Report

The National Crime Prevention Centre (NCPC) of Public Safety Canada is committed to developing and disseminating practical knowledge to address the problem of youth gangs. This information sheet is part of a series on youth gangs. It includes highlights from the 2002 Canadian Police Survey on Youth Gangs as well as other sources of information on youth gangs.

To implement effective prevention and intervention strategies, we must start by understanding the nature and scope of the youth gang problem. This document presents an overview of current knowledge about youth gangs in Canada, including their connections with guns and drugs.

• What is a youth gang?
• Who joins youth gangs?
• Results of the Canadian Police Survey on Youth Gangs
• Gangs, crime and violence
• Gangs, guns and drugs in schools
• Conclusion
• Notes
• References
• Appendix – Table 1
• Appendix – Table 2

[excerpts]

Aboriginal youth are more vulnerable to gang recruitment
and organized crime than non-Aboriginal youth and they are increasing in numbers and influence in Western Canada.

The largest proportion of youth gang members are African
Canadian (25%), followed by First Nations (21%) and
Caucasian (18%).

Table 2: Estimated Number of Youth Gangs and Youth Gang Members, Nationally and by Province, 2002

http://www.publicsafety.gc.ca/prg/cp/bldngevd/2007-yg-1-eng.aspx#t2
Northwest Territories
Number of Youth Gangs  0
Number of Youth Gang Members 0
Youth Gang Members per 1,000 pop 0