Through 2023, Winnipeg Police saw a large increase in incidents involving random acts of violence perpetrated by youths.

Many of them were tied to retail thefts or robberies of persons. During an examination of the events, officers were looking for commonalities between both sides involved, the accused and the victims. 

Officers learned that multiple youths previously identified and arrested were involved in multiple criminal acts. Police also learned that many of the youth were immersed in high-risk lifestyles not limited to previous traumatic backgrounds and real-time social and familial constraints which required social support that goes beyond the justice system.

Project Surge was launched as a person-focused investigation to identify those who have a high risk of committing violent acts and work with agencies that address some of the initial root causes and offer support to the individuals. 

  • 117 youths have been identified in Project Surge
  • Responsible for 1795 police incidents, both as accused or victims since 2023 (these include Missing Persons reports, serious assaults, weapons offences, and homicides) - 519 since March

Part of the program is continuous police compliance checks for curfews, addresses, and no-contact conditions that are in place for offenders who are subject to court orders.

  • 98 wanted person checks since March
  • 106 compliance checks since March
  • 435 arrests of these identified youths dating back to Jan 2023 – since project focus, we have arrested these youths 150 times

Project Surge is a step in the right direction in its early stages. To identify and monitor repeat offenders to ensure the public's safety.