BC Government to assign experts to investigate and report on prolific offender issue

A call from a number of urban Mayors for the province to do something about the issue of prolific offenders has gained some traction with the Provincial government, though the first step will give those prolific offenders a bit more time to get to work, with a four month study announced to review the situation.

In their announcement from Thursday, both Attorney General Rob Eby and Mike Farnworth Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General noted of the call from a number of BC communities, including Terrace, for action and how their response will address those concern.

“Simply because we are compassionate, concerned and taking action on mental health and addiction issues does not mean that we have to accept criminal behaviour, vandalism or violence in our communities. We all have to live together, and recovery from the pandemic for hard-hit retailers and downtowns through safety and accessibility for everyone is part of ensuring British Columbia remains one of the best places in the world to live. 

We agree with the mayors that creative solutions within our authority are needed. Together, we’ve identified and hired the experts in policing and mental health needed to investigate these trends, identify solutions and help us implement them.” -- David Eby, Attorney General and Minister Responsible for Housing.

The study will be taken on by two experts in their field: Doug LePard, former Vancouver Police Department deputy chief and former Metro Vancouver Transit police chief, who has authored several reports and sets of recommendations related to issues of crime and police response; and Amanda Butler, a health researcher and criminologist whose specialities include mental health, substance-use disorders, criminal justice systems and prison health. 

The work ahead for them was hailed by the Solicitor General who noted as to how the study will provide the province with additional tools towards the issue.

“Keeping people safe is a top priority of our government. We stand with all victims of crimes, and we share British Columbians’ concern and frustration with prolific offenders. We welcome the expert investigation led by Doug LePard and Dr. Amanda Butler, and we hope its findings will provide us with additional tools to protect communities and connect repeat offenders with the help they need.”

As part of Thursday's information release, the Terms of Reference for the study were outlined.

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The written report with recommendations from the two officials, will be prepared as part of the investigation and released publicly in early fall. The experts have been advised that if they find opportunities that do not need to wait for a final report, they should advise government so action can be taken earlier in the process.

You can learn more about the study here.

The plan to hold another study into the issue did not resonate highly with Skeena MLA Ellis Ross, who represents the Terrace region in the Legislature.  Mr. Ross offered his first take on the   government's announcement of the 120 day study  through his Twitter feed.

As we outlined on Thursday, Fort St. John is hosting the annual gathering of the North Central Local Government Association, the organizations first face to face session in two years. The issue of public safety was one of the topics for discussion at the meeting, with the City of Terrace a sponsor of a resolution related to Public Offenders.

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So far, Municipal officials in Terrace have not indicated if a 120 day study was what they. had in mind towards a course of action when they raised their concerns with the government in late March.

For those in Prince Rupert who peruse the local  Court Listing on a regular basis, the issue of prolific offenders would seem to be a concern for this community as well. 

However the topic has not been one that Prince Rupert Council has spoken to very much, if at all,  during their public council sessions.

More notes from the Legislature can be explored from our archive page.

Check our political blog D'Arcy McGee later tonight, when we review some of the notes fromVictoria of the last few days, with the new study one item surely to be a prominent talking point.