British Columbia is setting aside up to $5 million for a new police program aimed at curbing property crime and street disorder in urban centres.
The province announced the new Community Safety and Targeted Enforcement Program, or C-STEP, on Friday. Secretary of State for Community Safety Terry Yung said in Vancouver the funding follows consultations with business owners and organizations who want more action on non-violent offences such as shoplifting, vandalism and other property crimes.
A government release says the program builds on the existing Specialized Investigation and Targeted Enforcement (SITE) initiative, which funds police efforts to target repeat violent offenders. The RCMP will administer C-STEP funding on behalf of the province.
Wendy Mehat, president of the B.C. Association of Chiefs of Police, says departments can apply for funding for a variety of initiatives aimed at repeat offenders, ranging from increased foot patrols to operational plans targeting retail theft or drug trafficking in downtown cores.
Mehat says police will provide the government with updates on C-STEP’s progress, but a framework for measuring success is still being developed.
Yung acknowledged enforcement alone won’t resolve the broader issues contributing to street-level crime.
“We can’t just arrest our way out of crime,” he said. “We have to work across government and ministries to address housing, health care, mental health, drug addiction and poverty reduction.”
Jeff Bray, CEO of the Downtown Victoria Business Association, welcomed the announcement but said he hopes to see faster action on mental health and addictions, as well as more resources for the justice system to deal with repeat offenders.
“We appreciate the provincial government is recognizing the challenges that main streets across the province are facing,” Bray said. “For most communities, that main street or downtown is the economic heart and soul of a city or town. Now more than ever we need those businesses to be supported by customers, spending those local dollars in your local community.”
The most recent data from the Ministry of Public Safety show B.C.’s non-violent crime severity index rose seven per cent between 2022 and 2023, compared with about three per cent nationally.
The ministry says that while the total number of property offences in the province increased last year, population growth meant the property crime rate actually declined slightly, from 42 to 41 offences per 1,000 people.
