Province, mayors co-ordinate investigation into prolific offenders

May 5, 2022

Victoria — The Province, in co-operation with British Columbia’s Urban Mayors’ Caucus (BCUMC), has hired two experts to investigate and report on prolific offenders and random violent attacks, and the necessary actions.

In April, B.C.’s urban mayors sent detailed information to the Attorney General and Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General indicating that despite overall decreases in provincial and community crime rates, shifting crime patterns during the pandemic were particularly hurting downtown retail areas. This letter followed advocacy by the mayors of Terrace, Trail, Quesnel and some other smaller rural communities similarly affected. Meetings with local and provincial police have confirmed these trends and pointed to a separate issue of random violent attacks in some centres.

“Simply because we are compassionate, concerned and taking action on mental health and addiction issues does not mean that we have to accept criminal behaviour, vandalism or violence in our communities,” said David Eby, Attorney General and Minister Responsible for Housing. “We all have to live together, and recovery from the pandemic for hard-hit retailers and downtowns through safety and accessibility for everyone is part of ensuring British Columbia remains one of the best places in the world to live. We agree with the mayors that creative solutions within our authority are needed. Together, we’ve identified and hired the experts in policing and mental health needed to investigate these trends, identify solutions and help us implement them.”

This investigation and recommendation structure is similar to actions taken by the province to address money-laundering, as well as the financial crisis at ICBC, which respectively resulted in significant and ongoing reforms that dramatically reduced money laundering activities in B.C. casinos, and some of the lowest car insurance rates and best benefits in Canada.

“The B.C. Urban Mayors’ Caucus identified mental health, substance use and treatment as one of the most critical issues facing our communities. We know that some, not all, prolific offenders experience mental-health and substance-use challenges and for these individuals a path to care and treatment is needed to address the root cause of the problem,” said Lisa Helps, mayor of Victoria and co-chair of BCUMC. “It will be through courageous leadership and the continued co-operation of all levels of government that solutions of adequate care and consequences will address prolific-offender crime in our cities. This investigation is an important first step, and we are encouraged about the path today’s announcement puts us on.”

The investigation and recommendations will be completed by two people: Doug LePard, former Vancouver Police Department deputy chief and former Metro Vancouver Transit police chief, who has authored several reports and sets of recommendations related to issues of crime and police response; and Amanda Butler, a health researcher and criminologist whose specialities include mental health, substance-use disorders, criminal justice systems and prison health.

“Keeping people safe is a top priority of our government,” said Mike Farnworth, Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General. “We stand with all victims of crimes, and we share British Columbians’ concern and frustration with prolific offenders. We welcome the expert investigation led by Doug LePard and Dr. Amanda Butler, and we hope its findings will provide us with additional tools to protect communities and connect repeat offenders with the help they need.”

“As the mayors of B.C.’s large urban cities, we are at ground zero of hearing the frustration and seeing the consequential impacts that repeat property offenders are having on our communities, local businesses and residents’ sense of safety,” said Colin Basran, mayor of Kelowna and co-chair of BCUMC. “We are pleased to see the quick action by the Province in responding to the caucus’s concerns. We are hopeful that the work of this report will be a catalyst for improved integration of health and justice, and offer meaningful solutions that builds up the public’s confidence in the administration of justice.”

A written report with recommendations will be prepared as part of the investigation and released publicly in early fall. The experts have been advised that if they find opportunities that do not need to wait for a final report, they should advise government so action can be taken earlier in the process.

Two backgrounders follow.

Backgrounders

Investigation Panel biographies

Doug LePard

Doug LePard is a retired police chief and an independent criminal justice sector consultant. After 35 years’ service, he retired as the deputy chief commanding the Investigation Division in the Vancouver Police Department (VPD), then served several years as the Chief of the Metro Vancouver Transit Police. While in the VPD, he had multiple investigative assignments at several ranks where he conducted countless serious investigations, including in the Strike Force, the Sexual Offence Squad, the Domestic Violence and Criminal Harassment Unit and the Home Invasion Task Force.

Other assignments included managing beat policing on the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver and overseeing the VPD’s planning and research section. He has also served as an investigator and “discipline authority” for Police Act matters. He has authored/co-authored articles, book chapters and major reports on a variety of policing issues, about which he has presented locally, nationally and internationally.

He is a member of the Mental Health Review Board, BC Review Board, BC Emergency Health Services Board, The Treehouse (Child and Youth Advocacy Centre) Board, and former sessional criminology faculty at the University of the Fraser Valley. He holds a bachelor of arts in criminology and a master of arts in criminal justice.

Amanda Butler

Amanda Butler is a health researcher and criminologist whose specialties include mental health, substance-use disorders, criminal justice systems, and prison health. She completed her PhD in the faculty of health sciences at Simon Fraser University (SFU), and holds an MA in criminology from SFU and a BA in criminal justice and public policy from the University of Guelph.

For her PhD research, she used administrative data to study health needs and criminal justice outcomes among people with mental illness and substance-use disorders in B.C.’s provincial correctional facilities. She has published several academic articles, book chapters, and technical reports. She received several notable awards during her PhD, including a CIHR doctoral fellowship, an Endeavor Research fellowship, and the Dean’s Convocation Medal. She works as an independent research and evaluation consultant.

Investigation into prolific offenders terms of reference

The investigation will focus on the origin of evolving crime trends regarding two groups of offences and offenders (chronic property crime and violent offences) and identify solutions under existing provincial authority.

The investigation will be required to complete the following:

1. Reach out to key stakeholders with practical or academic knowledge and expertise related to the issue of prolific offenders and the recent rise in violent incidents for information on the origin of these trends, clear definitions of the problem and relevant terms, and suggestions on policy and legislative responses that are in provincial government jurisdiction, including the newly formed Crown Counsel Police Liaison Committee working group and the BC First Nations Justice Council; and

2. As part of this work explore specific proposals already received by government for feasibility of implementation and effectiveness in mitigating these two specific problems, including:

a. offering courts the option of ordering real time electronic monitoring of those identified as chronic offenders and under release conditions to preserve public safety and confidence while respecting federal rules about release and least restrictive conditions;

b. identifying supports or programs that can effectively be delivered or referred to by first responders (police, fire, ambulance) or by courts for offenders to interrupt the cycle of offending or the escalation of offending;

c. identifying whether compulsory programs between the province’s voluntary complex care housing and the province’s involuntary mental health hospital beds could respond to the unique needs of this group of offenders; and,

d. any other policies identified as promising through the work in subsection 1 or otherwise.

The experts will compile their findings in a written report prepared and returned to the ministers within 120 days.

Jennifer Rice

MLA, North Coast

Province, mayors co-ordinate investigation into prolific offenders

Backgrounders

Investigation Panel biographies

Investigation into prolific offenders terms of reference

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