VANCOUVER – British Columbia has launched a new public safety program aimed at reducing shoplifting, property damage and other non-violent street crimes in business areas.
Terry Yung, minister of state for community safety and integrated services, says the program is a “direct result” of feedback from police and the business community.
Yung says B.C. officials “heard loud and clear” their need for support in cracking down on street-level theft, vandalism, mischief and other crimes that undermine businesses, sometimes making it “untenable” for them to operate.
He says the initiative will help police address repeat offenders, building on an existing program aimed at stopping those who commit violent crimes.
The minister says the B.C. RCMP is administering the new Community Safety and Targeted Enforcement program and police departments across the province may apply for funding by submitting proposals for reducing non-violent street crime.
The province has allocated up to $5 million to launch the initiative, though Yung says the money is “a start,” and the B.C. government would continue to support policing while waiting for results from the program before deciding the next steps.
“But that doesn’t preclude other investments the province is making in terms of housing, in terms of health care, mental health, drug addiction treatment, poverty reduction and other social service agencies that we’re funding,” he said Friday.
“We can’t just arrest our way out of crime … We have to look at the undercurrents of what (is) causing this to happen.”
B.C. public safety officials are “watching carefully” as the federal government considers bail reform to address repeat offending, Yung added.
“We are looking forward to seeing what concrete changes are coming from the new government,” he told the news conference held in Vancouver.
A statement from the province says the program will provide police with “enhanced tools, technology and investigative resources to curb property crimes.”
It will also support police as they develop co-ordinated operational plans that involve businesses, outreach teams and social services, the statement says.
RCMP Chief Supt. Wendy Mehat told the news conference the new program is “a step forward” and another tool for police to use in combatting street-level crime by repeat offenders that is “eroding a sense of safety” in communities across B.C.
She said police departments may seek funding to increase patrols in areas with high levels of retail theft or to address drug trafficking in downtown areas.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 30, 2025.
