More police, prosecutors: CentreBC unveils public safety plans

CentreBC is promising to hire 500 additional RCMP officers and 60 Crown prosecutors over five years as part of a provincewide safety plan announced in Surrey today (Oct. 15).

Party leader Elenore Sturko, who is running in Surrey South, outlined CentreBC’s commitments outside Surrey Provincial Court, joined by members of her party, ahead of the Oct. 24 provincial election.

“This is something near and dear to my heart,” said Sturko at the beginning of her announcement.

Sturko explained that her concerns about public safety and the province’s approach to vulnerable people, including those experiencing mental health illness and brain injuries, were among the reasons she entered politics. She previously served as a member of the Surrey RCMP before entering provincial politics in 2022.

“I’m still very concerned about the fact that we have people who don’t feel safe walking in our streets, running public transit, or they fear for their safety in running a business in British Columbia,” she said.

Under the proposed plan, CentreBC will increase the number of RCMP officers funded through the provincial budget, which Sturko said has remained stagnant at 2,602 officers under the NDP and previous governments.

Sturko shared that CentreBC plans to expand units focused on public safety and maintain funding for extortion task forces to address targeted attacks linked to international and domestic gangs.

CentreBC would also double annual funding to $26 million for the Special Investigation and Targeted Enforcement (SITE) and Community Safety and Targeted Enforcement (CSTEP) programs, which target repeat and violent offenders.

Sturko also said the funding would include dedicated Crown prosecutors.

This safety plan will also combine enforcement with rehabilitation and longer-term care, said Sturko.

“As a former RCMP officer, I know that effective enforcement, accountability, as well as rehabilitation and longitude of care, are things that work together to provide public safety,” she said.

Sturko also announced that CentreBC plans to open two voluntary recovery units within B.C. corrections by 2028-29. Each unit would be independently evaluated based on reoffending rates and overdose incidents.

“Even with the decriminalization experiments long over, rampant public drug use and street disorder are still a problem in cities across the province,” said Sturko.

Within its first 100 days, Sturko explained that a CentreBC government would formally ask the federal government to change directives governing the laying of criminal charges for drug possession.

Sturko said the party would use alternative measures and restorative justice where appropriate to help direct people into care.

The safety plan would also include expanding voluntary treatment and involuntary care, including intensive housing for people who require a higher level of support.

Sturko explained some people living on the street experience severe and lasting brain injuries or cognitive impairments caused by overdoses, head injuries, or fetal alcohol spectrum disorder. She said these individuals can cycle through emergency rooms, hospitals and jails without receiving the long-term support they need.

If elected, CentreBC would ask Ottawa to help fund the construction of intensive care homes with round-the-clock nursing, medication assistance and daily support.

The province would provide land and cover the cost of care, with the goal of opening approximately 300 spaces by 2030-31, said Sturko.

“Accountability and treatment are not mutually exclusive,” she said. “CentreBC believes that we can expect people to take responsibility for their actions, but also recognizing that effective treatment and rehabilitation can also reduce the likelihood individuals will offend again.”

Sturko noted that CentreBC’s public safety commitments are intended to help people feel safer in their communities.

“British Columbians deserve a justice system that takes crime seriously, that responds effectively and helps people feel safe in their communities,” she said.

“That is our commitment to British Columbians.”