PRINCE ALBERT -- A Prince Albert Police Service inspector says he attributes much of the recent spike in violent crime to conflict between members of the same gangs.

Insp. Brent McDonald spoke to media on Wednesday about the Integrated Crime Reduction Team (ICRT), which is dedicated to guns, gangs and drugs. The team consists of officers from both the Prince Albert Police Service and the RCMP.

“One of the primary functions of our ICRT investigators is to try to determine what’s the driving cause behind some of the offences and whether or not it’s a recruiting thing, is it missions?” McDonald said.

“Right now, there seems to be a lot of conflict within particular gangs.”

While there are gangs that don’t get along in the city, McDonald said police aren’t seeing a “gang war.”

McDonald said he hopes youth are provided with the proper education and awareness about the dangers of joining gangs.

“I hope the youth could be informed that joining a gang, that maybe you think is your family, can quickly turn on you.”

The ICRT also supports the Street Enforcement Team, which is primarily focused on illegal drug activity. The Crime Reduction Team is part of the province’s Gang Violence Reduction Strategy.