Gangsters in British Columbia's Lower Mainland have taken to equipping themselves with body armour and tank-like SUVs, said a spokesman for a Vancouver police anti-gang unit set up to suppress criminal activity.

Vancouver Police Insp. Dean Robinson said Thursday a new approach is suppressing gang activity.
(CBC)

It's a sure sign that prominent gang members in the region want to feel invincible, said Insp. Dean Robinson.

"Being a gangster is a dangerous lifestyle," he said, while showing off a bulletproof vest.

Capable of stopping a handgun bullet, the vest was among items seized by by the Integrated Gang Task Force from suspected gang members in recent weeks. Some of those items were shown to the media at a Vancouver press conference Thursday.

Other items on display included a GMC Suburban SUV, equipped with an inner rear gate, strobe lights and even a police siren.

"[Gangsters] are riding around in vehicles like these for self-protection,'' said Robinson.

During the recent crackdown by the gang task force police checked 2,600 people, laid 23 criminal charges and seized guns, body armour and vehicles.

The campaign is a response to a rash of shootings that sparked concern that gang activity was getting out of control in the Lower Mainland.

Robinson said the "in your face"’ approach has brought down the level of violence on the streets.

"We are stemming the flow of gang violence by suffocating criminal activity," he said.

As a result of the work of the task force, some gangsters are laying low, he said.

Efforts to suppress gang activity are being led by the 20-member anti-gang squad that was assembled in March. However, it has yet to ease concerns that the gang problem is growing.

In September, police said two groups — the Independent Soldiers and United Nations — have organized in the past five years, on top of the Hells Angels and Asian gangs that have been operating in the city for decades.

Without providing firm numbers, police estimate that there are between 300 and 500 gang members in B.C.

With files from the Canadian Press