Strategic Context

Many factors challenge the Ministry to seek innovative ways to increase public safety and continue to ensure a fair and efficient system of justice for all British Columbians.

Crime trends impact the work of the Ministry and are affected by numerous factors, including demographics, technological change, police enforcement practices and reporting structures, victim and societal responses to crime, alcohol/drug consumption patterns and socio-economic trends.

British Columbia has one of the higher crime rates in the country. Historically, crime rates in Canada tend to increase as one moves westward across the country. While there have been a number of attempts to account for this phenomenon, there has been no definitive answer to explain why this is so.

The nature of crime is changing. Organized crime is crossing community, provincial and national boundaries and expanding into all forms of criminal activity. With technological advances, police are also seeing new types of crime, such as identity theft and Internet luring and fraud. Gang violence is increasing, particularly in the Lower Mainland, where gun violence is a growing concern.

The number of large-scale investigations in the province has grown, consuming increasing proportions of available resources. While crime rates are indicative of police workloads, they cannot reflect the time and resources dedicated to investigating complex criminal activities, such as those involving serial offenders or organized crime groups.

Trafficking in persons for sexual exploitation and forced labour is now one of the most prolific areas of international criminal activity. Human trafficking deprives people of their human rights, increases global health risks and, along with drugs and weapons, is a leading source of profits for organized crime.

An estimated 800,000 people are trafficked across international borders each year, approximately 80 per cent of whom are women and up to half are minors. Vancouver has been identified as a port of significant concern, as both a destination and a transit point for trafficking activities.

Over-representation of Aboriginal people in the justice system impacts the work of the Ministry. Aboriginal people comprise just four per cent of the province’s population, but make up 22 per cent of the prison population and 17 per cent of people supervised by Community Corrections. Research also indicates that Aboriginal inmates are considered to be at a higher risk to re-offend and score higher on all needs dimensions, such as substance abuse and employment.

Mental health and substance use issues are of concern, with a disproportionate number of individuals in the criminal justice system affected by substance abuse, addiction, persistent mental illness and concurrent disorders. Crystal meth use is a serious issue in the province. It is highly addictive, inexpensive and easy to obtain. Severe physical and mental health problems are associated with its use, and its production presents serious public safety and environmental risks.

Managing multi-needs offenders has become more challenging, with increases in the proportion of violent, high-risk and multi-needs offenders under Corrections supervision. The changing profile of offenders has contributed to greater use of remand and bail supervision. These trends have resource implications and affect staff training, security, program development and delivery, and offender management. Managing multi-needs offenders with different risk classifications presents challenges for effective custodial supervision, and requires close collaboration with justice and social service partners, such as police, addictions services and forensic psychiatric services.

Road safety and driver behaviour are a concern in British Columbia. Vehicle crashes continue to be the number one cause of fatalities and serious injuries from birth to age 25, and remain a leading cause of death thereafter. Many things contribute to vehicle crashes, but drinking and driving and dangerous driving are clearly top contributors. The Ministry shares responsibility for road safety with others, including the Ministry of Transportation, police, ICBC, municipalities and Transport Canada, and addressing the primary causes of the most serious vehicle crashes requires close collaboration among all of these partners.

Emergencies and disasters require co-ordinated mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery efforts to minimize loss of life and suffering, protect health, property, infrastructure and the environment, limit economic loss and reduce social impacts. Climate change is contributing to unprecedented fires impacting population centres (interface fires), landslides, severe weather, floods, ice jams and drought, challenging communities and all levels of government.

Growth in illegal gambling has been stimulated by the growing popularity and availability of games in the media, on the Internet and in the community. New technology and the ability to operate from anywhere in the world over the Internet makes online gambling very difficult to regulate. Programs and services are increasingly required to address illegal gambling and to promote awareness of responsible gambling practices.

The integrity of gaming is a continuing focus for the Ministry. Public and media concerns about high rates of lottery wins among lottery retailers have led to reviews and recommendations by the Ministry’s Gaming Policy and Enforcement Branch, the B.C. Ombudsman, and the independent auditing firm Deloitte & Touche LLP, into retailer lottery winnings and lottery prize payout procedures. This reflects a nationwide trend of concern about lottery systems.