Goals, Objectives, Strategies and Results

Overview

Ministry Goals

The following three high-level goals flow from the ministry’s public safety mandate and guide the programs and services of the ministry.⁶ Each goal is supported by two or more of the ministry’s core business areas.

6	Since publication of the 2005/06–2007/08 Service Plan Update September 2005, the wording of the ministry goals has been greatly simplified; however, the intent of the goal statements remains unchanged.

Linkages to the Five Great Goals

Through its programs and services, the Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General continues to work to ensure the safety of all British Columbians. These efforts contribute to a strong foundation for the realization of each of the Five Great Goals.

The ministry directly supports the second Great Goal of healthy living and physical fitness through efforts to reduce alcohol and drug misuse and through addiction prevention and treatment efforts in our correctional facilities and our communities.

The ministry also directly supports the third Great Goal of the best system of support through protective programs and specialized victim service programs for various groups, including at-risk children.

Lastly, the ministry directly supports the fourth Great Goal of sustainable environmental management through initiatives to strengthen hazard mitigation and emergency management throughout British Columbia.

Cross Ministry Initiatives

Crystal Meth Strategy

The Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General is leading the Crystal Meth Strategy. The Crystal Meth Secretariat was established October 1, 2005, and $7 million in targeted funding has been committed. The purpose of the Secretariat is to lead the development and implementation of an integrated framework targeting the use and production of crystal meth. Through the framework, government will work toward:

• increasing awareness of the dangers of crystal meth in schools and in communities;
• supporting First Nations’ efforts to respond to crystal meth use and production;
• enhancing specialized treatment services;
• reducing production and supply;
• ensuring safe enforcement by first-responders;
• mitigating environmental damage of toxic by-products used in production of the drug; and,
• monitoring and analyzing trends in use.

Mental Health Problems and Substance Abuse

A disproportionate number of individuals in the criminal justice system are affected by serious mental illness, developmental disability, brain injury or fetal alcohol spectrum disorder. These individuals may also be subject to compounding circumstances such as substance abuse.

Government continues to work toward addressing some of the issues related to the effective management of this population. Cross ministry collaboration has included the Ministries of Public Safety and Solicitor General, Attorney General, Health, Children and Family Development, and Employment and Income Assistance.

Accomplishments to date include:

• identifying and summarizing the most current research pertaining to services for persons with mental health problems and addictions;
• identifying current best practices, both nationally and internationally, in regard to services to this population; and,
• initial linking of health and justice system data bases for purposes of supporting planning, evaluation and operational services.

Strong Start BC

The ministry supports the Strong Start BC initiative, led by the Ministry of Children and Family Development to support children physically, intellectually, socially and emotionally. For example, the Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General:

• is developing and distributing fire safety awareness materials for and about children;
• provides specialized victim services to support child and youth victims and their families through the justice system, and is developing new specialized victim services to Aboriginal at-risk children and youth;
• provides information and resources on issues of harassment and bullying;
• provides community grants and promotes increased awareness and prevention of sexual exploitation of children and youth; and,
• provides domestic violence and substance abuse programming for sentenced adult offenders, some of whom may have an impact on children.

ActNow BC

The ministry also supports ActNow BC, led by the Ministry of Health to motivate British Columbians to improve their health by reducing tobacco use, eating nutritious foods, being more physically active, and making health choices during pregnancy. The Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General:

• operates AdventureSmart through the Provincial Emergency Program to help British Columbians develop safe and healthy behaviours in their outdoor recreational activities; and,
• collaborates with other ministries to help women make healthy choices in pregnancy and to identify risks and protective factors for young families.

The 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games

With regard to the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, the role of the Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General is to:

• work with other stakeholders to ensure that appropriate disaster, emergency and public safety plans are in place during the games, while ensuring that all communities continue to remain well-served; and,
• implement nationwide lottery products and distribute the net proceeds to support amateur sports in communities throughout British Columbia.

First Nations Relationship Commitment

The Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General supports government’s new relationship commitment with First Nations. Specifically, the ministry is:

• expanding the First Nations Policing Program by 32 positions in 2005/06, and continuing negotiations for future increases in the program;
• working toward eliminating inequities in basic fire and life safety services for Aboriginal people and fully integrating First Nations communities in the emergency management structure of the province;
• planning to provide more funding to ten existing victim service programs to meet needs in First Nations communities;
• building on current successful victim service programs by increasing hours of operation and outreach;
• working to address the high levels of violence against women and children; and,
• planning to develop 20 new community-based Aboriginal programs to address intergenerational violence.

Literacy

The ministry also supports literacy by offering literacy programming in correctional centres in collaboration with school districts.

Wine Policy Working Group

To better coordinate provincial wine policy and to exchange information, an inter-ministry Wine Policy Working Group was formed in 2004 with representatives from the Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General (Liquor Control and Licensing Branch and Liquor Distribution Branch) and other ministries having interaction with the wine industry, including: Agriculture and Land; Small Business and Revenue; Tourism, Sport and the Arts; Finance; and Economic Development. Chaired by the General Manager, Liquor Control and Licensing Branch, the Wine Policy Working Group is a strategic government voice on issues relating to all aspects of British Columbia’s wine industry.

Integrated Information Systems

The Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General supports the shift toward integrated information systems. Examples of the ministry’s work in this area include:

• PRIME, the Police Records Information Management Environment that is improving law enforcement and enhancing officer and public safety;
• JUSTIN, British Columbia’s justice information system that provides a single integrated database comprising almost every aspect of criminal cases, and an interface between JUSTIN and PRIME to further increase case tracking capabilities;
• a recent update of the Corrections operational system, using new technology that allows for integration of offender case management, amalgamates several internal systems and links with external systems, making it one of the most sophisticated systems of its kind in North America; and,
• the development of the Primary Assessment and Care module to capture all medical and mental health data originating in custody centres from nurses, doctors, psychologists and dentists to enhance information sharing amongst health professionals within Corrections and with public health agencies.

Performance Plan

The ministry’s goals and objectives described in this section are consistent with the ministry’s mandate and vision of safe communities and homes throughout British Columbia.

Brief descriptions are provided of some key activities and initiatives the ministry will undertake to achieve its goals and objectives. Progress toward goals and objectives will be tracked by a series of performance measures. For each performance measure, the most current available data are provided along with annual performance targets for the next three years.

Directly following this section, a summary diagram is provided of the ministry’s goals, objectives and performance measures. Supplementary performance information is provided in Appendix A.

There have been significant changes to the performance measures identified since publication of the Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General 2005/06–2007/08 Service Plan Update September 2005. Some measures have been discontinued either because they focused on internal operational matters with little public relevance, or because they were deemed inadequate for tracking progress toward goals and objectives. As well, new measures have been added as we continue our ongoing efforts to develop meaningful measures of the long-term client and societal outcomes and changes in conditions that indicate goal achievement. In many cases, these new measures are in early stages of development, requiring that data sources be finalized and baselines established.

It must be noted that measuring the performance of British Columbia’s justice system is a complex enterprise. Long-term outcome measures, such as victimization rates and recidivism rates for example, are generally affected by many different individual and socio-economic factors and are therefore not under the exclusive control of any one ministry. Rather, they are multifaceted outcomes involving all components of the justice system as well as many other aspects of government, such as health, education and social services, and factors that are external to government control.

Also, the performance measures identified here represent only a few critical aspects of performance. No single measure taken in isolation can reveal enough information to provide a reliable and accurate evaluation of the justice system. All measures should be considered together when assessing progress toward goals and objectives.

Protecting citizens and communities from crime is a central commitment of the Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General that is supported by the Corrections Branch and the Policing and Community Safety Branch.

Objectives and strategies employed by these branches are identified below, followed by the performance indicators and measures used to assess progress toward goal achievement.

A key objective of the ministry is to ensure that offenders are supervised and managed based on their risk to re-offend. To effectively and efficiently supervise offenders while they are under court orders, and to achieve reductions in re-offending behaviour over the long term, it is critical to understand the risk an offender poses to society and how that risk can best be addressed. More than 20 years of correctional research have resulted in the development of standardized, validated risk/needs assessment tools that can reliably provide this information.

A significant body of correctional research has confirmed that offender case management and rehabilitative programming can mitigate harm, interrupt offending cycles, and reduce re-offending behaviour. Corrections Branch assesses sentenced offenders to determine their risk to re-offend and their rehabilitative needs. Case management plans are developed based on these assessments and serve to guide program interventions on an individual basis. The branch develops and delivers correctional (core) programming in accordance with correctional research.⁷ Core programs are designed to address risk factors known to contribute to criminality (e.g., substance abuse) and focus on the acquisition of cognitive skills necessary to bring about behavioural change. They are delivered by trained staff, and through contracted services, to offenders who pose higher risks for re-offending. Core programs are available in adult custody facilities and for offenders serving community sentences.

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Core programs currently provided are Cognitive Skills, Educational Upgrading, Relapse Prevention for Sex Offenders, Respectful Relationships, Substance Abuse Management, and Violence Prevention. Core programs developed for incarcerated female offenders include Emotions Management, Relapse Prevention, Relationship Skills and Substance Abuse Management. A new Living Skills program is also being developed.

Adequate levels of police services across the province are required to protect citizens and communities from crime and to respond to the changing nature of crime. Key strategies to meet this objective are to restructure police financing, support the integration of existing police services, increase the number of officers in the Provincial Police Service (PPS), and review the Police Act and the Provincial Standards for Municipal Police Departments in British Columbia. These initiatives will ensure that police services are delivered in the most effective and efficient way possible, avoiding duplication and yielding economies of scale in protecting the public. Another strategy is to implement new policing initiatives to increase the ministry’s capacity in such areas as supporting organized crime prosecutions, responding to high-tech crime and combating Internet-based child exploitation.

The ministry also continues efforts to negotiate new Community Tripartite (policing) Agreements (CTAs) with First Nations and the federal government.⁸ Additional CTAs are required to ensure that First Nations communities have police service levels equivalent to those of similar non-First Nations communities. Under these agreements, First Nations receive dedicated police members to work with their communities. Best efforts are made for these positions to be staffed by Aboriginal officers.

8	New CTAs are dependent upon both the province and federal governments securing appropriate funding.

A common records management system for all police agencies enhances their effectiveness by allowing them to share information across the province. To achieve this objective, the ministry continues implementation of the Police Records Information Management Environment (PRIME), an online data-sharing system that provides up-to-the-minute information about criminals and crimes, improving law enforcement across the province. PRIME is a major component of the provincial law enforcement strategy as it provides an integrated information management system with instant access to a database including criminal case records, images (photos, mug shots, documents and fingerprints), investigation notes, electronic messages, calendar events and dangerous goods data.

PRIME was implemented in Vancouver, Port Moody and Richmond as a pilot in 2002 and has subsequently been implemented in 30 agencies across the province, including the remaining municipal police agencies, Nelson R.C.M.P. Sub-Detachment, West Shore R.C.M.P. and the Greater Vancouver Transit Authority. There are approximately 160 R.C.M.P. detachments still requiring PRIME implementation.

Another key objective is the maintenance of protective programs to enhance public safety, such as the Protection Order Registry (POR), a confidential database containing all civil and criminal protection orders issued in British Columbia.⁹ The intent of the registry is to contribute to the reduction of violence against vulnerable adults, youth and children through support of the enforcement of civil and criminal protection orders.

Conducting criminal record checks on individuals who work with children is another strategy designed to protect the vulnerable. Criminal record checks are conducted to help protect children from physical and sexual abuse. They are made mandatory under the Criminal Records Review Act for anyone who works with children or who has unsupervised access to children in the ordinary course of employment, or in the practice of an occupation, and who is employed by, licensed by or receives operating funds from the provincial government.

9	A protection order is an order containing a condition that affords safety and security to a specified person or persons. An order must contain a no contact, limited contact, or other protective condition to be considered a protection order.

In preventing crime and victimization, the ministry promotes the Crime Prevention through Social Development (CPSD) approach, going beyond traditional responses to crime that focus on sentencing and incarceration by focusing instead on eliminating the root causes of crime.

Research indicates that communities can become safer if they actively engage in programs designed to reduce the incidence of crime and repair the harm caused by criminal behaviour. The ministry therefore continues to provide funding and support to community-based crime prevention and restorative justice programs, and to work with stakeholders to promote awareness of and collaborative approaches to community safety and crime prevention.

Victims of crime require a range of supports and services as they participate in the justice system. Key strategies designed to reduce the impact of crime include: offering information, referrals and practical support to victims of crime and their families through victim service programs; administering the Crime Victim Assistance Act and Program to ensure that victims have access to financial assistance and other benefits; notifying impacted victims of end of sentence release of identified offenders; providing training and support to victim service workers; and increasing public awareness of the services available to victims of crime.

Performance Measures

To indicate the overall effectiveness of the justice system in deterring and rehabilitating offenders, the ministry tracks the percentage of adult offenders who do not re-offend for two years following a finding of guilt and sentencing by the courts. However, criminal behaviour is a highly complex phenomenon involving many different individual and socio economic factors, and this measure is not directly attributable to any one component of the criminal justice system.

	Data Source: Data for this measure are drawn from the Corrections Branch operational system (CORNET) and are very reliable.
	The methodology for calculating this measure uses a two-year tracking period. It is based on a rolling average of all offenders who have been sentenced for another offence within the two year time period tracked. Consequently, for any given year, the data presented are for two years prior.

The ministry is undertaking tracking victimization rates as an indicator of the safety of individuals in their homes and communities. Derived from victimization surveys, victimization rates are based on personal accounts of criminal victimization incidents, whether reported to the police or not.

	Data Source: The ministry is presently developing this measure and will collect data for the measure through an annual survey of British Columbians. The survey will be based on the survey questions used in the Statistics Canada General Social Survey, Cycle 18. Provincial survey questions will be consistent with those used by Statistics Canada so that results can be compared.
	There are a number of data limitations associated with all telephone surveys, including victimization surveys. For example, telephone surveys exclude respondents who do not speak any of the official languages, people with speech disabilities, homeless people, and low income households without a telephone. These and other limitations will be taken into account when reporting on this indicator.

The following supplementary measures associated with the goal of protecting citizens and communities from crime are included in Appendix A:

• percentage of enrolled offenders successfully completing core programs;
• number of Provincial Police Service (PPS) members;
• number of First Nations Policing Program members;
• percentage of population covered by police agencies using PRIME;
• average time to adjudicate claims for financial assistance from victims and others impacted by violent crime;
• percentage of protection orders entered within 24 hours of receipt; and,
• number of community-based, youth crime, violence, bullying and sexual exploitation projects funded.

A second important goal of the ministry is enhanced public safety through protective and regulatory programs delivered by the B.C. Coroners Service, the Provincial Emergency Program, the Policing and Community Safety Branch, the Office of the Superintendent of Motor Vehicles, the Office of the Fire Commissioner, the Gaming Policy and Enforcement Branch and the Liquor Control and Licensing Branch.

The B.C. Coroners Service investigates all sudden and unexpected, unexplained or unattended deaths, makes recommendations to improve public safety through preventative measures, and helps people deal with the trauma of death through provision of timely and accurate information. To most effectively improve public safety and assist the public, coroners’ cases must be completed in a timely manner and be based on current and consistent information. Key strategies include: hiring new staff to address increasing caseload volumes, enhancing reporting structures, redesigning the Coroners Case Management System (TOSCA); providing ongoing training to all coroners; providing coroners with electronic access to field investigation protocols; and conducting a feasibility study on development of a Centre for Excellence for Forensic Sciences.

A significant objective of the ministry is reduced harm caused by disasters and emergencies. Key strategies to achieve this objective include: providing leadership to the provincial emergency structure during emergencies and disasters; improving capacity to prepare for, respond to and recover from emergencies and disasters, including implementation of the Filmon recommendations resulting from the ‘Firestorm 2003’ review; and assisting local governments and First Nations communities in preparing for emergencies and disasters through technical support, training and education.

In 2000, British Columbia endorsed the national Road Safety Vision 2010. A key strategy of the ministry in moving toward increased road safety is to work with key stakeholders, including I.C.B.C., the Ministry of Transportation, and the R.C.M.P., to develop and implement a long-term road safety plan for the province, including strategic actions to achieve provincial and national goals.

In 2003, the ministry entered into a five-year agreement with I.C.B.C. to fund an Enhanced Road Safety Enforcement Initiative across the province. This includes initiatives such as Integrated Road Safety Units, the Intersection Safety Camera Program and Automated Licence Plate Recognition.

An important objective of the ministry is the promotion of fire prevention, life safety and property protection programs through the Office of the Fire Commissioner. Key to successfully achieving this objective is the development and maintenance of strong working relationships with local governments, fire service organizations and other jurisdictions. The office has re-committed to enhancing its partnership relations with key stakeholder groups to identify and fill a number of service gaps, to achieve higher levels of coordination between local fire departments, and to inform amendments to the Fire Services Act .

Reduced incidence of illegal gambling is an important objective of the ministry and a key strategy is to fully implement the Illegal Gambling Enforcement Strategy, including:

• continuing work to determine the extent of illegal gambling in the province, including Internet gaming and lottery products;
• enhancing working relationships with the R.C.M.P. and other law enforcement agencies to better identify and prosecute offenders;
• operationalizing a decision-making framework and documenting the prioritization process for investigations;
• creating a coordinated, strategic public education campaign for the types of permitted gaming, licence requirements and consequences of illegal gambling; and,
• implementing a policy framework for Internet gaming.

Liquor industry members have a legal responsibility to minimize harm to their customers and to any individual or community affected by the consumption of liquor in their establishments. Key strategies designed to achieve the objective of improved industry cooperation to reduce problems associated with liquor misuse include: creating tools to identify high-risk establishments in consultation with local governments, police, schools and licensees; targeting resources on high-risk establishments and focusing inspections and investigations on service to minors, over-service, overcrowding and illicit alcohol; strengthening server training components related to avoidance of service to minors and over service; and streamlining enforcement processes.

Performance Measures

The ministry tracks the percentage of Coroners’ files completed within four months to indicate the timeliness of investigations.

	Data Source: The source of data for this measure is the Coroners Case Management System. Results are calculated by measuring the duration from the date the case coroner is notified to the date on which the file is closed at the Regional Office.

The ministry will track the percentage of communities in British Columbia that have achieved an essential level of emergency preparedness. Community emergency preparedness is a significant outcome supported by the Provincial Emergency Program and an indicator of public safety in the province.

	Data Source: The ministry is currently developing this measure and exploring data sources.

The ministry will track the rate of serious injury and fatality accidents in the province per 10,000 drivers.

	Data Source: The ministry is presently working with I.C.B.C. to develop the methodology for establishing and tracking a serious injuries and fatalities rate.

The ministry will monitor stakeholder satisfaction with the services and support provided by the Office of the Fire Commissioner.¹⁰

	Data Source: The ministry is presently developing this measure and will collect data for the measure through an annual stakeholder survey. The survey will focus on stakeholder satisfaction in such areas as accessibility, quality and timeliness of the support and services provided by the office.

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Key stakeholders of the office include the Union of B.C. Municipalities and the Fire Service Government Liaison Group, which represents: Fire Chiefs Association of British Columbia; Fire Prevention Officers Association of British Columbia; Volunteer Fire Fighters Association of British Columbia; British Columbia Training Officers Association; and British Columbia Professional Fire Fighters Association.

The ministry tracks the percentage of inspected or investigated liquor licensees who are found to be in compliance. Increased voluntary compliance indicates the level at which licensees understand and are willing to cooperate with the liquor regulatory framework. An increase in voluntary compliance in such areas as over-service and avoidance of service to minors may also indicate that liquor misuse is decreasing, leading to increased public safety for British Columbians.

	Data Source: The data for this measure are drawn from the branch’s POSSE database and are based on records of inspections and contravention notices issued. The data are considered to be accurate and reliable.

The following supplementary measure associated with the goal of enhanced public safety is included in Appendix A:

• Incidence of illegal gambling.

The ministry also strives to ensure that public interests are safeguarded through regulatory programs delivered through the Gaming Policy and Enforcement Branch and the Liquor Control and Licensing Branch, as well as through other regulatory offices and programs.

It is in the public interest that gaming be conducted within a strong regulatory framework that balances economic activity with the responsible management and delivery of gaming. Key strategies linked to that objective include:

• evaluating grant and licensing policies, including the effectiveness of community organizations’ access to gaming revenue;
• developing and implementing a coordinated, proactive strategy to oversee B.C. Lottery Corporation’s Internet gaming system, including equipment standards, registration and audit features;
• continuing to develop, implement and enforce public interest standards;
• fully implementing an audit and compliance framework that includes allocating resources based on sound risk management principles, monitoring B.C. Lottery Corporation’s compliance with provincial requirements regarding the conduct and management of commercial gaming, auditing licensed gaming events and use of gaming proceeds, and sharing information and delivering educational programs to clients to increase compliance with gaming legislation and policies; and,
• further developing the branch’s access to information policy to enhance public accountability and reporting.

The continued development and implementation of the Responsible Gambling Strategy is designed to expand on current programs and services to reduce the harmful impacts of excessive gambling and encourage responsible gambling practices and healthy choices. Key strategies include:

• increasing emphasis and efforts in prevention, research and evaluation, and enhancing client-centred delivery of provincewide problem gambling services;
• fully developing the Partnership for Responsible Gambling by coordinating activities of local governments, service providers and other major stakeholders, and reviewing service delivery and contract management of provincewide problem gambling treatment and prevention services; and,
• increasing public awareness of the responsible gambling initiatives and treatment services available to those with a gambling problem, including developing and implementing a school-based educational resource.

The ministry works with communities to ensure that new liquor-primary licences issued reflect public interests. Key strategies include: providing local governments/First Nations with community health indicators to facilitate more effective assessment of licence applications; setting terms and conditions for hours, size and entertainment that are consistent with community standards; and streamlining licensing processes. The branch continues to look at ways to streamline licensing processes to allow resources to be focused on providing local governments/First Nations with the information they need to effectively review and provide input on licensing applications.

Performance Measures

The mandate of the Gaming Policy and Enforcement Branch is to ensure that legal gaming in British Columbia operates with integrity and accountability. Public confidence in the conduct of gaming indicates that the industry is operating in compliance with provincial legislation and policies, and that the branch’s activities effectively meet citizens’ expectations for the gaming industry.

Data Source: During 2006/07, the ministry will develop a framework of key measures for assessing client satisfaction with gaming policies and programs. Data for these measures will then be collected by the ministry through a survey of British Columbians to establish a baseline of overall satisfaction. If feasible, the survey questions will be developed to be consistent with those used in other jurisdictions so that results for British Columbia can be compared.

Audits of organizations receiving gaming funds promote voluntary compliance, the proper use of these proceeds, and the financial accountability of these organizations.

	Data Source: The ministry has tracked community organization audits since April 2003, monitoring the number of audits conducted and instances of non-compliance. The data are considered to be accurate and reliable.

The following supplementary measures associated with the goal of safeguarded public interests are included in Appendix A:

• Time to acquire a Liquor Primary Licence; and,
• Achievement of milestones in implementing the Responsible Gambling Strategy.

Ministry Performance Plan Summary