Skip to main content

Crackdown on youth gatherings downtown to continue this weekend: Victoria police

Share

Victoria police say patrol officers will once again be out in force this weekend amid a rise in reports of youth vandalism and violence in the downtown core.

The police department says officers have been responding to complaints about large groups of young people using drugs and alcohol downtown over the past six weeks.

Police say the gatherings are being organized on social media and have resulted in random attacks on strangers.

Eight young people were arrested during a similar crackdown last weekend, including three people who required medical care for intoxication, according to the department.

"Our presence downtown this weekend is to deter violence and ensure downtown is safe and enjoyable for everyone," said Victoria police Insp. Kerrilee Jones in a statement Friday.

Jones said VicPD is working with other local police agencies, municipalities and school districts to resolve the issue.

CTVNews.ca Top Stories

Mussolini's wartime bunker opens to the public in Rome

After its last closure in 2021, it has now reopened for guided tours of the air raid shelter and the bunker. The complex now includes a multimedia exhibition about Rome during World War II, air raid systems for civilians, and the series of 51 Allied bombings that pummeled the city between July 1943 and May 1944.

WATCH

WATCH Half of Canadians living paycheque-to-paycheque: Equifax

As Canadians deal with a crushing housing shortage, high rental prices and inflationary price pressures, now Equifax Canada is warning that Canadian consumers are increasingly under stress"from the surging cost of living.

Stay Connected