Barrie police receive provincial funding to tackle gun and gang violence

Tackling downtown Barrie gun and gang violence Barrie police get help from the provincial government to address the growing issue of gun and gang violence in the downtown.

Barrie Police Services is getting a $200,000 boost from the Ontario government to address the growing issue of gun and gang violence in the city's downtown.

Barrie police say in recent years, there have been serious but isolated incidents in the downtown; some believed to be gang-related.

The grant from the province will help improve the 20 closed circuit cameras installed in the city's core.

"It assists in evidentiary evidence for our investigators, to utilize for court purposes and to identify suspects," said Keira Brooks, Community Safety and Wellbeing Officer. "[It] makes our community feel a lot more secure that they're there."

Downtown business owner Sunny Jung said she had been the victim of several break-ins over the years, including last October.

"Two of the incidents happened when we were at the store, and they were in the basement. Upon reviewing the incident, we noticed the guy had a machete in his backpack," Jung said.

The Everleigh Garden owner admitted the incidents had her thinking about moving her business elsewhere.

She called the funding a step in the right direction.

"It's sad to see this area going down like this because it has a lot of potential, and I still love this area, so I'm hopeful it will get better."

The Ontario government is providing $1 million in the fight against gun and gang violence to nine police services across the province as part of the Ontario Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) Grant.