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Your B.C. Government

Community Safety and Law Enforcement

Your B.C. Government is putting more police on the streets, providing support to communities for public safety initiatives and investing in crime prevention initiatives because every citizen should feel safe in their community.

What your B.C. Government is doing for Community Safety and Law Enforcement:

More Police

  • The Province has steadily increased the annual policing budget by over $128 million since 2001, an 89% increase.
  • B.C. has more than 1,100 more police officers than five years ago which includes 168 new officers to fight gangs and organized crime – that’s nearly 8,700 police in all.
  • Funding for these new officers will total $69 million over three years with $53 million the Province secured in federal funding and $16 million through the provincial RCMP contract.
  • B.C. already has more integrated policing per capita than anywhere else in Canada and invests $66 million a year in these teams.  The Province is adding a 10-member weapons enforcement team as part of the illegal gun strategy.  Other, existing teams focus on homicides, gang violence, child exploitation and other specific crimes.  Our Uniformed Gang Task Force patrols gang activity on the street level.  In the past year it has laid 135 charges, seized 39 firearms, 4 armoured cars and 6 sets of body armour.
  • Your B.C. government returns 100 per cent of net traffic fine revenue to municipalities for community safety and policing. Since 2004, the Traffic Fine Revenue Sharing program has provided an extra $297 million in funding, which has helped hire an additional 560 police officers. Prior to the program's expansion in 2004, qualifying municipalities received $10 million per year.
  • The Province created the first dedicated transit police force in Canada, currently consisting of 130 armed officers with full police powers.

More Prosecutors

  • The Province has top-notch, senior Crown counsel working closely and co-operatively with police to prosecute gang crimes.
  • Ten additional Crown prosecutors will be dedicated to work with police which means there are now 26 prosecutors dedicated to fighting gang and gun crimes. This is on top of 49 prosecutors currently working on organized crime cases.

More Jails and Secure Courts

  • The Province is pursuing a four-year, $185 million capital plan, the largest investment in corrections space in more than half a century; it will add 304 cells across B.C. to hold more than 600 offenders.  We are also working with court services to ensure full use is made of secure courtrooms across the Lower Mainland to prosecute violent, gang offenders.

Tougher Laws

  • The Province will vigorously pursue the federal government to make changes to the Criminal Code to make sure those who commit gun and gang crimes aren’t released on bail and serve the jail time they deserve.  We will continue to urge the federal government to make changes to federal laws so that police are freed from burdensome paperwork and given the necessary tools to conduct modern electronic surveillance on those involved in gang violence and organized crime.
  • The Province will also work with ICBC to ban registration and insurance of modified armoured vehicles. New legislative powers under the Motor Vehicle Act will allow the confiscation of vehicles carrying illegal weapons.
  • A new licensing regime will be implemented for the sale and purchase of body armour, including criminal record checks.

Innovative Approaches

  • B.C. is one of four provinces with active civil forfeiture programs. Over the past three years, the Province's actions have seen $7.5 million in cash and property forfeited, with proceeds going to support victims and crime prevention and remediation.
  • An escalating rewards program will be introduced for anonymous tips and for information leading to the arrest and conviction of gang members. As well, a new gang hotline to help collect tips and catch criminals will be established.
  • In 2006, your B.C. government launched a 4 year, $2 million anti-gang youth strategy to deter youth from joining gangs and in 2009 and additional $1 million was added.
  • In February 2008, the Province launched a prolific offender management project aimed at reducing high-volume crimes like break and enters, car thefts, assaults, robberies and drug trafficking, on a pilot basis in six B.C. communities.
  • The Province invested $44 million to create PRIME, a data-management system that links all B.C. police. This database is used to identify and target criminal organizations and individuals across districts.
  • B.C.’s bait car program is the largest of its kind in North America and has had a tremendous impact on auto crime, with auto theft dropping by 47 per cent – equal to 10,000 fewer stolen vehicles.
  • Police now have the ability to impound vehicles for 60 days for driving while prohibited or suspended. For a second offence, impoundment increases to 90 days and the minimum fine goes up from $300 to $500.

For more information:
Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General
VictimLINK