Premier David Eby at the announcement of 12 hubs to deal with repeat violent offending. Image Credit: Province of B.C.
repeat offending

“It’s inadequate”: Mixed reaction to B.C.’s plans to tackle violent offending

Apr 13, 2023 | 3:38 PM

PRINCE GEORGE — The provincial government has announced that they have a new plan to target repeat violent offending in B.C.

New hubs of police, prosecutors and probation officers are going to be created in every region of the province to focus on tackling repeat violent offending. In the midst of heckling, Premier David Eby laid out what the new plan will look like.

The hubs will be based in Nanaimo, Victoria, Vancouver, Surrey, New Westminster, Abbotsford, Kamloops, Kelowna, Cranbrook, Prince George, Williams Lake and Terrace.

The province is also creating a new program called the Special Investigation and Targeted Enforcement program or SITE, and this program will expand police investigative resources and targeted enforcement capacity, and the province will also invest $16 million over three years so law enforcement can strengthen their investigations.

Former Solicitor General and minister of public safety Mike Morris is not impressed with the government’s plan.

“It’s inadequate. You know, the amount of resources that are putting into this are inadequate to begin with. This is a bandaid on an open wound that needs stitches and it just won’t work the way they’ve set it up here.” – Mike Morris, MLA, Prince George-Mackenzie (BC United)

The provincial government has said that the 12 dedicated hubs would be set up by May 1st, which means there is less than 30 days to get every detail regarding this new plan to be hammered out.