Province launches program targeting repeat property crime offenders across B.C.<\/p>\n
Published 3:30 pm Tuesday, June 23, 2026<\/p>\n
Repeat property-crime offenders are now in the crosshairs of the province and RCMP.<\/p>\n
Public Safety Minister and Solicitor General Nina Krieger was joined by Sheila Malcolmson, MLA for Nanaimo-Gabriola, Insp. Donavan Tait, from the Nanaimo RCMP, and other officials in Nanaimo on Monday, June 22, to announce the province is investing $16 million over two years to launch the Chronic Property Offending Intervention Initiative province-wide.<\/p>\n
Tait said the C-POII is modelled on the successful Repeat Violent Offending Intervention Initiative which has reduced crimes by repeat-violent offenders in B.C. by 67 per cent, increased charge approvals for high-risk individuals, and strengthened responses from the justice system for these offenders.<\/p>\n
He said police in many communities report that a small number of individuals are responsible for a disproportionate amount of property crimes, which include vandalism, urinating in public, theft, shoplifting and street disorder, and the C-POII will target them.<\/p>\n
\u201cLike RVOI, we\u2019ll have a wrap-around approach that will involve not only police officers, but also prosecutors, probation officers, correctional supervisors, community-integration specialists and mental-health liaisons who will meet and identify who are the best candidates for the initiative,\u201d Tait said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese individuals will receive enhanced supervision and supports based on their criminal history, level of community disruption and risk of re-offending.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tait said small-scale pilots of the C-POII have been underway in Nanaimo, Kelowna and Nelson since November, 2025, and the program will now go province-wide to take on chronic property and public disorder crimes over the next two years.<\/p>\n
Sonia Komen, the owner\/operator of The Nanaimo Bar, a lounge and music venue on Front Street where the press conference was held, said she knows there are many communities, not just Nanaimo, that have experienced public-safety challenges.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis not only affects local businesses such as The Nanaimo Bar, but the residents as well,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe new C-POII is a step toward addressing these issues, and I appreciate the province\u2019s continued commitment and efforts to supporting safer communities.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fred Jeffery, chair of the Downtown Nanaimo Business Association, said the DNBA was very encouraged to learn that Nanaimo was one of the sites chosen for the C-POII pilot program<\/p>\n
\u201cSome of our members have experienced a substantive emotional and financial toll as victims of these property crimes,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe hope that the extension and expansion of the program provides the long-term solution to reducing the toll of these crimes, and helps the folks caught in this cycle of crime find a better path forward.\u201d<\/p>\n
Krieger said chronic property crime threatens the livelihoods of small businesses, which are the backbone of B.C. communities.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re building on progress we\u2019ve made, dedicating more resources and working with partners to strengthen enforcement and keep communities vibrant and safe.\u201d<\/p>\n
George Anderson, MLA for Nanaimo-Lantzville, said when local businesses in Nanaimo thrive, the community can be vibrant and the city can realize its potential.<\/p>\n
\u201cThrough C-POII, repeat offenders who commit senseless property crimes will be targeted through enforcement measures that will increase safety on the streets for all residents,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Province launches program targeting repeat property crime offenders across B.C. Published 3:30 pm Tuesday, June 23, 2026 Repeat…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":756937,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[194299],"tags":[903,49,48,87674],"class_list":["post-756936","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-surrey","tag-british-columbia","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-surrey"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/756936","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=756936"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/756936\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/756937"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=756936"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=756936"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=756936"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}