BC launches programme to tackle street disorder
People and businesses will be safer as government launches a provincewide program to disrupt street disorder and retail crime in communities throughout British Columbia."Retail theft and street disorder undermine public safety and place added pressure on local businesses," said Nina Krieger, Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General. "The Province is targeting chronic property offending that threatens the livelihood of small businesses, which are the backbone of our communities. We're building on progress we've made, dedicating more resources and working with partners to strengthen enforcement and keep communities vibrant and safe."Small-scale pilots of the Chronic Property Offending Intervention Initiative have been underway in Kelowna, Nanaimo and Nelson since November 2025. While limited in scope, police in Kelowna have credited the program with helping stabilize property crime trends, including a decline in break-and-enter offences. Additionally, the program is praised for enabling a more targeted and co-ordinated approach to reducing reoffending and enhancing overall public safety in Kelowna. Building on this success, the initiative is launching provincewide.How the program worksPolice in many communities report that a small number of individuals are responsible for a disproportionate amount of property crime. The Chronic Property Offending Intervention Initiative focuses on people involved in repeat offences, such as theft, shoplifting, vandalism and street disorder. Many of them have complex needs related to housing instability, mental health and substance use.The program is modelled after the Repeat Violent Offending Intervention Initiative, which has reduced offending, increased charge approvals for high-risk violent offenders and strengthened justice-system responses for people in that program. The new initiative takes the same approach to property crime by providing targeted enforcement, enhanced monitoring and release planning, income assistance where eligible, and timely interventions for people involved in repeat property-related offending."Property crime and street disorder have a real impact on people, businesses and communities across British Columbia," said Niki Sharma, Attorney General. "Through the Chronic Property Offending Intervention Initiative, police and corrections work closely together to provide prosecutors with information to make timely decisions and craft appropriate bail and sentencing positions, leading to effective court outcomes. This co-ordinated approach helps ensure repeat offending is addressed consistently and appropriately, while maintaining a justice system that is fair, independent and supports public safety."Bringing together a co-ordinated team of prosecutors, police, probation officers, correctional supervisors, community integration specialists and mental-health liaisons from Forensic Psychiatric Services, the initiative works to identify individuals who require enhanced supervision and supports based on their criminal history, level of community disruption and risk of reoffending.* Referrals are made and prioritized collaboratively by police and BC Corrections using standardized criteria* Individuals receive intensive supervision, including frequent contact with probation officers and close monitoring by police* Public safety and justice partners share information to support timely enforcement decisions and stronger court outcomes* Individuals are connected with services, such as housing, mental-health and substance-use supports to address underlying factors contributing to offendingTargeting repeat crimesBudget 2026 is investing $16 million over two years to establish 12 new intervention and monitoring hubs, providing enhanced supervision and co-ordinated supports for as many as 420 individuals throughout British Columbia.The new hubs will add to the 12 existing Repeat Violent Offending Intervention Initiative regional hubs, bringing the total to 24 hubs, and will supervise as many as 865 individuals involved in repeat offending. Strengthening the Province's efforts to target violent offending, vandalism and street disorder in communities throughout B.C., hubs will operate provincewide, based in 19 communities, with each serving a defined area to ensure rural, remote and smaller communities have access to services.This work will strengthen local partnerships, improve regional co-ordination and create a network that can better support police operations and keep communities safer.Through Budget 2026, the Province is continuing to take action to build safer communities, with a $139 million investment over three years to strengthen public safety, address repeat offending and improve timely access to justice.
