With an average of two reported extortions per day so far this year, investigators dealing with the rising number of extortions south of the Fraser River say there’s one thing people can do to help curb the number of cases:
Stop paying criminals.
Police have previously confirmed some victims who’ve been contacted have paid anywhere between tens- and hundreds of thousands of dollars. But because criminals follow the money, they return to the same wells. Police are also concerned with copycats.
The Surrey Police Service (SPS) tells 1130 NewsRadio that last year it had more than 180,000 calls for service, and 132 reported extortions — the equivalent of less than one per cent of all calls, adding, “It’s getting 99 per cent of the attention.”
“Paying only fuels this criminal activity and puts others at risk.”
Furthermore, in 2025, the SPS investigated 2,600 missing persons cases, which is roughly seven per day; responded to 3,100 theft from car reports, or eight a day; 10 assault calls, daily; And other crimes like break-and-enters and scams.
“Crime does not stop in Surrey because we’re in an extortion crisis.”
Politicians and police have shared concerns about why victims don’t often report extortion, saying victims are fearful, while facing cultural connections and potential international ties to the crime.
The Delta Police Department (DPD) tells 1130 NewsRadio that it’s had a dozen cases so far this year.
“Seven of these files originated in Delta, while five involved DPD supporting investigations in other jurisdictions where victims reside in Delta. Three of the files involved confirmed shooting incidents. Fortunately, no one was injured in these incidents, and the remaining files involved threat-based activity only,” said Staff Sgt. Mike Whiteley.
Since November 2023, the Abbotsford Police Department (AbbyPD) says it has dealt with 81 reports of extortion.
“The majority of these cases have been non-violent, meaning individuals were contacted through letters, text messages, or phone calls threatening harm if large sums of money were not paid,” Sgt. Paul Walker told 1130 NewsRadio.
“So far in 2026, we have received three extortion-related reports — all of which were non-violent. Importantly, AbbyPD has not had any incidents this year involving shots being fired, and at this time, I’m not aware of anyone in Abbotsford paying these extortionists. I strongly urge anyone who is being targeted by extortion to not pay and to contact police immediately. Paying only fuels this criminal activity and puts others at risk.”
Walker adds that investigators in Abbotsford are being tapped to help other departments with their active investigations.
“We are also an active member of the Provincial Extortion Task Force. Our collective goal is focusing on intelligence sharing — a critical tool in stopping this violence and holding those responsible accountable.”
Last year, the province created the BC Extortion Task Force. The task force declined 1130 NewsRadio’s request for an interview and sent a written statement instead.
The force says additional resources are being deployed to help support local police.
“It is important to note that the Task Force is not taking conduct of all extortion files. Its mandate is focused and specific, with the goal of advancing investigations that have been determined to have linkages to other investigations and/or established suspect groups,” said Sgt, Vanessa Munn in an email.
“The Task Force is continuously liaising with partner agencies and reassessing as investigations evolve, and new information becomes available. As additional evidence is gathered, analysts and investigators are better able to determine whether any linkages exist between files. As a result, the number of incidents, investigations, and extortion related files remains fluid. We continue to work closely with investigational units within police agencies across the province, across Canada, and with the National Coordination and Support Team (NCST).”
Business community responds
Ryan Mitton is the director of Legislative Affairs for B.C. with the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB). He tells 1130 NewsRadio that extortions are taking a toll on businesses, especially smaller ones.
“This is a deeply concerning trend… and it’s something the government needs to address sooner rather than later. We are hearing overwhelmingly from businesses that small businesses do not feel safe in their own communities. In fact, they feel crime and street disorder is increasing on a year-over-year basis, and most importantly, they don’t feel like the taxes they pay are translating to improvements in community safety. Eighty-five per cent of small businesses tell CFIB they are not getting the value they pay for protection in their own community.”
He adds that 40 per cent of small businesses admit to not always filing a police report because they’re unhappy with police response times.
The onus is not necessarily on police, Mitton says, but rather on government and the legal system to ensure people are safe.
“We need to build confidence back into the system. The government needs to start making sure that when people are arrested for crimes, they are prosecuted and kept off the streets. Policing is overwhelmingly done with information and data, and when small business owners lack confidence in the system, it leads to crimes going unreported, and that affects everybody.”
He’s calling for investments in community safety and deeper communication between the provincial government, police, and community members. Mitton suggests, for example, hosting town hall meetings and reaching out to affected community organizations.
“Right now, there’s fear, there’s uncertainty, and if people are not reporting crimes as a result of that, then this erodes confidence in the system.”
Despite its concerns, the CFIB confirms it has not asked for a meeting with any provincial official or minister to discuss the crisis.