OTTAWA, Ont. – Ottawa Police Chief, Charles Bordeleau said guns and gangs were going to be his focus when he was sworn in this year as the new chief.     

There have been 29 shootings in the city this year, which tops the 23 for all of last year.

Three of the five homicides in Ottawa this year have been gun related. The latest was early Saturday morning when 22 year old Levy Kasonde was killed in a drive by shooting out front of the home of his daughter’s mother.     

Bordeleau is concerned about how brazen gangs are becoming.  “The whole issue around intimidation, bravado….the handgun is the weapon of choice now  these days by gang members,” he said.     

Bordeleau told 1310News, there are more than four hundred gang members in Ottawa, including 25 described as “hard core”.      

He said most of the guns on the streets of Ottawa are smuggled across the border from the U.S.  “We’ve partnered up with Canada Border Service Agencies (CBSA) and they are now  integrated into our guns and gangs unit to deal with the influx of firearms,” he said.

A symposium on guns and gangs coordinated by the city and police will be held in Ottawa October 17-18.