Gary Bass
D. Comm. Pacific Region
C. O. “E” Division

Welcome to “E” Division’s 2006/07 edition of “Year in Review.” We have made significant strides in meeting our commitment to Safe Homes, Safe Communities through our member and employee dedication and commitment to the team and to the citizens of British Columbia.

The collective vision when the Crime Reduction Initiative (CRI) began was to decrease crime and make our streets and communities safer. I am pleased to report that within a year of implementation at our first pilot sites, that is exactly what is happening. Further, sites that have taken just the first few steps in implementing the initiative are also seeing positive results.

Early analysis is indicating that the focus on prolific offenders is resulting in significant drops in a broad range of crime categories. I am very proud of the support from members, employees and partners who have embraced the CRI philosophy wholeheartedly and have made the success we have seen to this point possible. We have solid support from all levels of government. Last fall, at the Union of BC Municipalities, the Premier, Attorney General and Solicitor General gave us their full support.

A key aspect of current work on CRI is centered on the creation of a truly integrated criminal justice approach to prolific offenders. As we are all aware, too often the various components of the justice system work in isolation or even sometimes, at odds. Further, important government partners with potential to impact on public safety – human services, health and education – are poorly integrated with public safety planning.

We now have an opportunity to work with all of these elements to construct a coordinated approach, through the work of the Criminal Justice Reform Secretariat. The Division has created a commissioned officer position to work directly with the Secretariat in Victoria as we continue to focus on and build an integrated approach.

I appreciate all the hard work being done by all members and employees throughout the Division every day. As we move forward with further initiatives, I’m confi dent that our collective efforts will be realized as we see overall reductions in crime, which will contribute to making BC homes and communities the safest in the world.