OTTAWA -- A spate of shootings this month has prompted Ottawa police to beef up its guns and gangs unit.
Twelve officers have been reassigned to the guns and gangs unit in order to deal with 11 shootings since Nov. 9.
Police say the shootings were all targeted attacks.
Officials say the unit, which normally has 10 members, will have 22 on a temporary basis.
This is the second year in a row Ottawa police have been forced to reassign officers to the unit.
Last year, additional officers were also assigned to the force's direct action response team which deals with gang members on the streets and helps suppress gang activity.
Police Chief Charles Bordeleau said that unit is not getting any additional officers this time, as police look to boost their "investigative capacity."
"They are seasoned investigators, but it's a capacity issue," Bordeleau said.
"Public safety is our number one concern," Bordeleau said.
"The last thing we want to do is have a stray bullet hit an innocent victim, but as I said, to date all of these shootings have been very targeted."
(CFRA)
