Date: Friday, February 23, 2024
File: 24-6074
Victoria, BC – On February 20, just after 8:00 pm, Patrol officers attended the 100-block of Menzies Street for a report of a robbery involving six youths.
The victim reported they were travelling home from the grocery store by skateboard when a group of youth approached them. One of the suspects pointed a knife at the victim and took some of their belongings.
Responding officers searched the area and located the school-aged group of youth nearby. The victim’s belongings were returned to them and the youth with the knife was arrested and later released on an appearance notice with a future court date.
The investigation is ongoing and further details cannot be shared at this time.
Deterring Youth Violence – A Primary Concern For VicPD
In 2022, VicPD responded to ongoing youth violence in downtown Victoria, with some nights seeing over 150 youth gathering and committing various acts of mischief, random assaults, and public consumption of drugs or alcohol.
VicPD continues to work with community partners including our regional policing partners, school districts, parents, and caregivers, by sharing information and working to address this behaviour. An example of this ‘prevention and intervention’ strategy is the Mobile Youth Services Team (MYST), which is a regional unit that provides service in the CRD from Sooke to Sidney. MYST partners a police officer with a youth counselor to support high-risk youth that are often targeted for sexual exploitation or gang recruitment. Learn more about the MYST by listening to their episode on the Victoria City Police Union True Blue Podcast here.
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