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.
• Government has embarked on a $185-million capital plan to build new jail cells across the province, including a Lower Mainland Pre-trial Centre in Surrey. The new centre will incorporate state-of-the-art security planning and systems to ensure public safety. This centre will be a major infrastructure project providing local employment opportunities and paying local taxes, as well as 200 construction jobs. It also includes approximately 175 full-time jobs once operational, paying approximately $14 million in salaries each year.
• B.C. is one of four Canadian provinces with an active civil forfeiture program. Since B.C.’s program began in June 2006, the Province has received more than $7 million in cash and property as a result of successful civil forfeiture actions, with proceeds used to support the program, compensate victims, and fund crime prevention and remediation projects.
• Victims receive information, referrals, emotional support and practical assistance through 161 victim service programs across B.C. and 250 programs provide counselling and outreach to women fleeing violence in their relationships and children who witness abuse. In addition, the Crime Victim Assistance Program provides financial assistance and benefits to victims of violent crime and their families. In total, the province is providing $43.5M toward these programs this year.
• 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.