reputed gangster Shaun Roberts was granted bail with strict conditions, including 24-hour house arrest pending four court appearances to face charges

On Friday, reputed gangster Shaun Roberts was granted bail with strict conditions, including 24-hour house arrest pending four court appearances to face charges -- including four counts of attempted murder -- in connection with the Nov. 16 gunplay.
Earlier in the week, a 17-year-old associate of Roberts, facing charges in the same shootout, was granted bail with a $20,000 bond and house arrest. Deputy Chief Murray Stooke concedes gang crimes have put Calgary in an unenviable place among the nation's major cities. "In 2008, we had the second-highest number of homicides in 30 years and about 35% involved gang activity," he said. "What we're mostly concerned about is we have a running battle between two gangs that has cost lives."
Statistics Canada findings show this city, along with Edmonton and Winnipeg, topped the nation for the number of gang homicides in 2007. That year, cops reported 117 homicides nationwide as gang-related, which includes killings of gang members as well as innocent bystanders. Gang killings accounted for about one in every five homicides in 2007. While the number of homicides in Canada dropped slightly from the year before, an increasing number of slayings are related to gang warfare. "There needs to be a dialogue on what can be done to increase public safety," Stooke said. "It's a national trend." And as such, he said it requires players on all levels of government, coast to coast, to look for more tools to offer solutions and safeguard the public from being caught in the crossfire.

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