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3mo ago

British Columbia Invests $6 Million in Violent Offender Enforcement Program

After helping lower violent crime in Vancouver’s downtown, the top-up aims to bolster resources for tracking repeat offenders.

British Columbia's Minister for Public Safety and Solicitor General Gary Begg meets with Lt.-Gov. Janet Austin during the swearing-in ceremony at Government House in Victoria, Monday, Nov. 18, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chad Hipolito
A group of more than 30 British Columbia retailers, trade associations and other groups is calling for a co-ordinated government response to repeat offenders they say are behind a wave of theft, vandalism and violent crime. A police officer works at the scene of a fatal shooting outside a shopping centre, in Delta, B.C., on Saturday, May 1, 2021.

Overview

  • The government announced on June 20 that it will add $6 million to the SITE program, a three-year pilot launched in March 2023.
  • Since its inception, investigators under the program have opened nearly 150 probes across dozens of communities.
  • SITE has generated more than 2,600 criminal charges and secured substantial seizures of weapons, drugs and stolen property.
  • Vancouver police attribute a notable reduction in violent crime along Hastings Street to the program’s efforts.
  • Public Safety Minister Gary Begg warns that escalating mental health challenges, the toxic opioid crisis and homelessness are complicating frontline policing.