BC Policing and Community Safety Plan - Ministry of Justice ...

enforcement agencies to protect communities in ways that are both timely and cost effective. These legislativeinitiatives included: completing the provincial government’s guns and gangs strategy by enacting laws thatlimit armored vehicle use; banning aftermarket compartments in vehicles; requiring health-care facilities toreport gunshots; and implementing legislation to deter metal theft.NEXT STEPS: The Ministry of Justice is continuing to work with communities and law enforcement to identifycivil/administrative law strategies to address community safety issues. The most recent development is theintroduction of the proposed Community Safety Act which will enable people to submit confidential complaintsto a new provincial unit charged with investigating, mediating and working with property owners tocurb various threatening and dangerous activities. This new unit will have powers to hold property ownersaccountable for unlawful activities on their properties, and to take steps to stop those activities. Those stepsmay include applying to the court for a community safety order to close a property to use and occupation forup to 90 days.The proposed Community Safety Act targets properties that are used for unlawful activities such as drugtrafficking, prostitution, illegal weapons, gang and organized crime, and other criminal activity. Problemproperties contribute to an overall decline in public safety in the surrounding area resulting in frequent calls forpolice response. Problem properties also have a detrimental impact on adjacent property. The new legislationproposes a civil legal approach by allowing for court-ordered control of property. It will give people a simple,timely, safe way to report properties of concern without tying up court resources, and will force landlords todeal with chronic, illegal and dangerous behaviour on their properties. Implementation strategies are presentlyunder consideration.•¡Support anti-gang initiativesACTION ITEM #9: The Ministry of Justice will, in collaboration with the Combined Forces Special EnforcementUnit and the Organized Crime Agency of British Columbia, conduct a review of anti-gang initiatives within theprovince and elsewhere to:a. Identify potential further civil/administrative law strategies to complement existing enforcement efforts;b. Enhance the coordination of anti-gang enforcement and disruption efforts between all police agenciesthrough provincial policing standards; and,c. Implement a province-wide anti-gang prevention campaign aimed at deterring at-risk youth from becominginvolved in gangs.CONSULTATION FINDINGS: Roundtable participants described the many ways gang activity affected theircommunities. They identified gangs as contributing to an overall sense of community instability, especiallywhere youth and other vulnerable individuals are recruited to support gang activity. Participants notedthat gangs often use intimidation or promises of money, as well as status and belonging in order to attractmembers. Communities in more remote or widespread regions noted that gangs are capitalizing on lowerpolice presence. The need for strategies aimed at deterring youth from joining gangs and participating in theviolence which accompanies the lifestyle was a key theme that emerged from the focus group.CHALLENGE: There is a need to address gang recruitment and gang violence across the province through thedevelopment of new evidence-based approaches as well as by building on existing strategies. This involvesstrengthening the civil/administrative law and regulatory responses to complement enforcement efforts in thedisruption and deterrence of gangs and organized crime. Past efforts have included the introduction of theGunshot and Stab Wound Disclosure Act, Armoured Vehicle and After-Market Compartment Control Act, and theTHEMES AND ACTION ITEMS 35