Media Room – Honourable Kash Heed

The diverse portfolio of the Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General includes law enforcement, corrections, services to victims of crime, the coroners service, driver regulation and road safety, as well as emergency management.

Did you know . . .

• B.C. has more than 1,100 more police officers than five years ago which includes 168 new officers to fight gangs and organized crime – that’s nearly 8,700 police in all.
• Other actions against gun and gang violence include outlawing modified, armoured vehicles; new licensing of body armour; and a new gang hotline and rewards program for tipsters.
• Another $1 million will be put toward youth education programs to deter youth from joining gangs, for a total of $3 million since 2006.
• B.C. already has more integrated policing per capita than anywhere else in Canada, and is adding a 10-member team focused solely on seizing illegal guns. Other, existing teams focus on homicides, gang violence, child exploitation and other specific crimes.
• The Province is proposing a new Lower Mainland pre-trial centre on the Willingdon Lands in Burnaby. An ongoing, four-year, $185 million capital plan represents the largest investment in corrections space in more than half a century; it will add 304 cells across B.C. to hold more than 600 offenders.
• B.C. is one of two Canadian provinces with active civil forfeiture programs. Over the past 2.5 years, the Province’s actions have seen $5.25 million in cash and property forfeited, with proceeds going to support victims and crime prevention and remediation.
• Crime victims receive information, referrals, emotional support and practical assistance through 156 victim service programs across B.C. Budget 2008 provided an extra $17 million over three years to help more victims access these programs.
• The Province has had street-racing laws for six years. Between 2002 and 2008, 817 prohibitions were issued and 692 vehicles impounded as a result of street racing.
• The Coroners Service is responsible for the investigation of all unnatural, sudden and unexpected deaths in B.C. In 2007, the service investigated 7,474 deaths and conducted 27 inquests.
• B.C.'s Office to Combat Trafficking in Persons, established in 2007, is the first of its kind in Canada. It is responsible for the development and overall co-ordination of the Province's strategy to address human trafficking.
• There are 57 hazards identified in B.C. In a typical year, the emergency co-ordination centre receives more than 7,000 search-and-rescue requests and reports of flooding, hazardous material spills, urban interface fires and other incidents.