Minister of Justice National Youth Justice Policing Award

National Youth Justice Policing Award – 2024 Winner

Transcript

Bonjour, and hello to everyone at this year’s Canadian Police Association Biennial Meeting.

I wish I could join you directly in Québec City.

I’m pleased to send greetings from my office in Toronto, located on the traditional territory of the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishinaabeg, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee and the Wendat.

I want to express my deep gratitude to you all for your service.

No matter your role or region, you are making a significant contribution to keeping our communities, and everyone in Canada, safe.

That includes your innovative work to support and empower young people who come in contact with the criminal justice system.

Today, it’s an honour to recognize your achievements by announcing the 2024 winner of the Minister of Justice National Youth Justice Policing Award.

It is my great pleasure to congratulate this year’s recipient: Staff Sergeant Lindsey Houghton of the Organized Crime Agency of British Columbia working with Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit of British Columbia itself.

Staff Sergeant Houghton is a recognized leader and innovator in this area of law enforcement. We are honouring him today for his central role in creating and managing the Gang Intervention and Exiting Team.

This program has supported hundreds of young people who want to turn away from gangs and toward a more positive future.

Staff Sergeant Houghton launched the program as a pilot in 2016, under the larger End Gang Life initiative, which was also his brainchild.

So you get a pretty good idea that this is obviously someone who cares deeply about diverting youth from, and away from, a life of crime.

This program has been such a success that it received permanent provincial government funding in 2018.

It takes a holistic approach to reach youth who are at risk of joining a gang or already involved in gang activity.

Police, educators and many other community partners come together to engage youth and their families―offering diversion, mentorship, workshops, community supports, counselling and many other strategies.

The program has a strong focus on providing culturally sensitive and diverse support for Indigenous, Black, and other racialized young people.

This includes maintaining and creating key partnerships with the RCMP and several B.C. First Nations, immigrant service organizations and many others.

There is also a strong public awareness component to educating and engaging the community in broader efforts to prevent gang violence and creating safer communities.

Staff Sergeant Houghton has likened these efforts to doing a jigsaw puzzle―pulling together the right pieces to fill in the gaps in education and prevention efforts.

Thanks to this program, more pieces are added every single year, and the picture is coming into sharper focus and the results speak for themselves.

This program is helping our youth. My heartfelt thanks and congratulations to you, Staff Sergeant Houghton, and to everyone involved with the Gang Intervention and Exiting Team.

Together you are creating healthier, positive futures for young people and for your communities.

Félicitations! Congratulations!

Gang Intervention and Exiting Team

The recipient of the 2024 Minister of Justice National Youth Justice Policing Award is Staff Sergeant Lindsey Houghton of the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit – British Columbia (CFSEU-BC) for his leadership and innovative work on the Gang Intervention and Exiting Team (GIET).

Launched in 2016 by Staff Sergeant Houghton as a pilot program for the province of British Columbia, the GIET provides intervention and exiting services to individuals over the age of 12 who are engaged in gang activity. It is Canada’s only police-embedded gang intervention and exiting program and has inspired the creation of a similar program in Australia.

In 2023, the GIET program supported over 100 young people by creating customized safety plans with creative practices to encourage gang exiting like tattoo removal, financial support for school and sports, trauma counselling and career mentorship. The GIET also offers similar services for families of affected youth to further support safe and healthy environments.

The program works closely with schools, immigrant support agencies, youth probation officers and other stakeholders to prevent youth criminal behaviour and reduce recidivism. Each year, the team gives several school and community presentations aimed at deterring youth from getting recruited by gangs and encouraging them to make positive choices. The GIET also developed a series of educational tools including videos, comics and pamphlets to raise awareness about the negative effects of gangs and teach parents and educators about the key signs of youth gang involvement.

Staff Sergeant Lindsey Houghton joined the CFSEU-BC in 2012. He is the creator of the End Gang Life initiative and has won several provincial and national awards for community engagement, positive policing and crime prevention strategies. His innovative work with the GIET has helped many young people at-risk of gang involvement lead prosocial lifestyles. As a result of GIET’s success, the program was awarded permanent funding from British Columbia in 2018.

More information about this initiative can be found at endganglife.ca [external link].

Previous winners

Learn about previous Minister of Justice National Youth Justice Policing Award recipients: