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3mo ago

B.C. Opens Applications for $5M Community Safety and Targeted Enforcement Program

Police agencies across B.C. can apply by submitting operational plans to the RCMP to secure funding for enhanced investigative capacity against property or street-level crime.

Pedestrians cross East Hastings Street in the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver, on Thursday, June 13, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
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A shoplifting suspect is caught on camera at the New Empire Supermarket in Richmond in 2024.
People walk past the empty JJ Beans coffee shop at the Woodward's building in Vancouver.

Overview

  • The Community Safety and Targeted Enforcement Program (C-STEP) allocates $5 million to equip police with advanced technology, tools and investigative resources to curb property crime and street disorder.
  • Police agencies provincewide must submit operational plans to the RCMP to compete for C-STEP funding under the newly opened application process.
  • C-STEP will complement the existing Specialized Investigation and Targeted Enforcement program (SITE), which achieved a 27 percent drop in violent crime in Hastings Crossing and a 45 percent reduction in weapon-related assaults in Gastown.
  • Local leaders including Jane Talbot of the Downtown Vancouver Business Improvement Association and BC Association of Chiefs of Police president Wendy Mehat have welcomed the initiative as a crucial step against non-violent and repeat offending.
  • The program forms part of a broader $235 million public safety investment in B.C.’s 2025 budget aimed at strengthening justice and enforcement initiatives across the province.