No quick answers to street violence

Editor:
There is a real concern about criminal gangs associated with the drug trade. Is the political response of longer jail sentences the only answer to this very pressing problem? I agree with swift justice for those at the top of these gang structures, but are the poor and uneducated going to be the first to be convicted by these tougher sentences?
The 2007 edition of a publication put out by the Canadian Association of the Chiefs of Police (CAPC) reported on an International Congress on Street Gangs.
Some of the conclusions of the congress were:
There are many reasons why young people join street gangs. The experts still do not have the answers
We cannot arrest our way out of the problem. The police are only one part of the solution
There is no short-term answer to the problem of street gangs. There must be enforcement with strong prevention over a generation.
In conclusion I believe that we as a community have to look deeply into our society for solutions. It has been known for years that lack of education and poverty can be casual factors for crime. Are we tackling the reasons for poverty and lack of education in the right way? Do we have the resources to work toward solutions of gang violence and the drug trade?
Joe Haddock
Prince George