Photo: Randy Millis – photo file
The British Columbia government is taking steps to tackle repeat offenders in the province, following recent lobbying by provincial mayors.
On Thursday, Attorney General David Abby announced that the province had hired former Vancouver Deputy Chief of Police Doug Lepard and forensic scientist Amanda Butler to investigate and report on trends in chronic property and violent crime in the province and recommend solutions.
“We all need to live together, and recovering from the pandemic of severely affected retailers and centers through safety and accessibility for all is part of ensuring that British Columbia remains one of the world’s best places to live,” Abby said in a statement. .
“We agree with the mayors that creative solutions are needed within our powers. Together, we identified and hired the police and mental health experts needed to study these trends, identify solutions, and help us implement them. “
Last month, a group of British Columbia mayors approached IBI and Secretary of Public Safety and Attorney General Mike Farnworth about how downtown retailers are suffering from changing crime patterns.
“Meetings with local and provincial police confirmed these trends and raised a separate issue of arbitrary violent attacks in some centers,” the provincial press release said.
The Lepard and Butler report is expected to be finalized and published by early fall.
Kelowna Mayor Colin Basran, co-chair of BCUMC, welcomed the announcement Thursday.
“Kelowna’s council, RCMP, residents and businesses are disappointed with the current state of affairs,” said Mayor Basran. “The high levels of property crime in Kelowna are largely due to the many offenders.
“We know that we are doing our part to address the security concerns in our city, and we also know that systemic changes need to take place at the provincial level to really address some of the key concerns about the administration of justice and public safety. Today’s announcement is a clear indication that opportunities to work with the province can lead to significant changes and improvements. “
In December last year, the Kelowna RCMP identified 15 people who had a combined 1,039 “negative contacts” with the police in the first 11 months of 2021. In a letter to the provincial government, the city of Kelowna highlighted one person with 29 property convictions and attacks since 2016 and has generated 346 RCMP files during that time.
“Statistics from the BC prosecutor’s office show that they receive fewer files to review, take longer to close these files, less approve of police-recommended charges and refer fewer cases to courts where fewer people are recognized. guilt and downtime are increasing, “said Darren Cole, director of public safety in Kelowna.
“These data show a system that lacks resources and is under pressure, leading to frustrated communities, discouraged police officers, a lack of accountability for those who commit crimes and reduced trust in our justice system.
In a separate press release, the Association of British Columbia Crown Counselors also welcomed the investigation.
“As a royal adviser, our members are at the forefront and see what’s happening,” said BCCCA President Kevin Marx.
“There are a number of immediate decisions that can be considered, including the appointment of a team of special prosecutors for chronic offenders to deal exclusively with the most notorious recidivists. By knowing the history and origins of these offenders, they can better assist the court in making decisions that do not allow these offenders to commit a free crime while on bail. “
Marx also called for an increase in the number of prosecutors in British Columbia to manage the growing workload.
The city of Kelowna notes that Kelowna’s RCMP budget has increased by 84% since 2016, from $ 27.9 million to $ 51.4 million in 2022.
The province has commissioned similar reports investigating money laundering in British Columbia and the ICBC financial crisis.
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