MONTREAL - The threat posed by street gangs could eventually become a national security concern, say Canadian police who are calling for a national plan of action to deal with the problem.

"If we are going to stem the growing gang problem, we have to make a sustained commitment to a more vigorous enforcement in parallel with strong prevention measures over a generation,'' Steven Chabot, president of the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police, said Wednesday.

Vancouver deputy police chief Steve Sweeney says there is a concern that gangs may evolve to the point of threatening national security.

"There is a belief that they can mature to that level,'' he said as an international conference on street gangs ended.

"Have any matured to the level where they're really a threat to the security of the nation, I'd be hard-pressed to say yes to that.''

Canadian police are already concerned about the growing links many street gangs have to criminal organizations abroad. They are hoping a national action plan can create a bulwark against further internationalization of the gang threat.

"That's beyond the scope of the Vancouver police to deal with and that's where the national strategy... (would) have the jurisdiction to deal with those issues,'' Sweeney said.

Law-enforcement officials south of the border warn that U.S. gangs -- older and more entrenched than their Canadian cousins -- could look north for further expansion.

"A lot of the gangs in Chicago are found nationwide,'' said Eugene Williams, who heads Chicago's organized crime division.

"Very few of them are so far being seen here, but if they continue to evolve they could very easily be here.''

Chabot refused to provide any details about what a national street gang strategy might entail, but stressed it would develop a long-term approach for dealing with gangs.

He also indicated it would integrate information-sharing networks, admitting police are often operating in the dark when it comes to gang dynamics.

"There is a lot we do not know about gangs,'' he told a news conference. "We need better intelligence so we can target our interventions.''

Among the other concerns raised at the conference was the lack of resources for provincial prosecutors, which many claim can hamper the effectiveness of police crackdowns.

Earlier this week, Quebec's Crown prosecutor in charge of organized crime said the province's 26 prosecutors were swamped with work, in part because of the increased pressure police are putting on street gangs.

"I understand the problems of the prosecutors,'' said Montreal police Chief Yvan Delorme. "They have a lack of human resources and we ask a lot from them.''

The Quebec prosecutors want the province to hire more lawyers to deal specifically with street gangs.