Federal Minister of Public Safety Marco Mendicino and his provincial counterpart Mike Farnworth were in Newton Friday to earmark nearly $4 million for a Surrey anti-gang program.
Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke welcomed the funds for Surrey’s Anti-gang Family Empowerment Program.
“We have helped almost 5,000 youth in Surrey who were at risk to stay out of the gang lifestyle,” she said.
The announcement was made at the Newton Recreation Centre.
Surrey Coun. Linda Annis, also executive director of Metro Vancouver Crime Stoppers, welcomed the $3.95 million.
“Gangs are recruiting children as young as 10, so when it comes to gang prevention, we need to start early,” she said. “The fact is the gang lifestyle usually ends in just two ways: jail or death, so gang prevention programs really need to connect with children, teens and their families.”
tom.zytaruk@surreynowleader.com
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