The arrest of seven people in a high-risk police takedown over the weekend is highlighting the violent nature of Saskatoon's street gangs, some say.

In addition to the arrests, officers with the Saskatoon Police Service's street gang unit seized numerous firearms and other weapons during a raid at a home on the 1600 block of 19th Street West early Sunday morning.

The seven suspects, who are all in custody, face a total of 48 criminal charges in connection with the weapons that were seized in the residence, according to police.

Police said its emergency response team, as well as a canine team and an armoured vehicle, were brought in to help with what it described as a "high-risk" raid.

It's the second weapons-related arrest in Saskatoon in recent days. Last week, police arrested seven men who had shotguns, a knife and a bullet-proof vest.

But despite these recent arrests, Det. Sgt. Tyson Lavallee of the police service's street gang unit says there is no gang war in Saskatoon.

"Our gang activity has been … the best word to describe it is 'stable.' I don't think there's been any spikes," Lavallee told CBC News on Monday.

Steeped in violence

Rev. André Poilievre, a Catholic priest who helps people leave the gang life, said people in Saskatoon should not be surprised to see police coming across weapons on the street.

Poilievre, who works with the group Str8 Up, said street gangs in the city are steeped in violence.

"That's how you become a member of a gang — you get beat up. That's how you get out of a gang — you get beat up," he said.

"Violence is just part and parcel of the whole picture."

The days of settling gang disputes with fisticuffs is over, Poilievre said, adding that guns are becoming the weapon of choice among gang members.

"You put in a whole bunch of pills and a whole bunch of coke and a whole bunch of booze together, and you put all that into these individuals, and the consequences are going to be quite negative, quite violent," he said.

Police say half of the homicides that have been reported in Saskatoon since 2006 are linked directly to gangs.