Over the past several months, Vancouver has had a string of violent incidents, often involving repeat offenders.
Since the tragic Lapu Lapu incident that occurred over a month ago, Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim has issued repeated calls for action to the provincial and federal governments, stating that the city cannot tackle its problems alone.
He has specifically been trying to address the issue of repeat offenders and folks who are suffering from mental health conditions who end up committing crimes.
Last week, Sim had words for Attorney General Niki Sharma, following the release of the suspect who attacked a tourist near the Stanley Park Seawall. The tourist believed the suspect was trying to kill her. We also learned that the suspect would be living in co-op housing, which has raised concerns among other residents of the co-op.
“Law enforcement agencies have done their job in identifying suspects and making arrests, but the judicial system is repeatedly letting victims down by allowing those with a high risk to offend back into the public.”
“The public deserves an answer from Attorney General Niki Sharma on why this continues to happen,” he added.
Sim said that victims deserve better from a judicial system that exists to serve and protect them.
“Nothing will change until the province and the federal government are ready to take concrete actions to reform the bail system and adequately resource the criminal justice system.”
While there has been some work to reform the bail system, it hasn’t prevented certain violent and repeat offenders from being released back onto the streets.
It’s not just the mayor who has been asking for more from the province. In April, one day before the Lapu Lapu tragedy, we spoke to a former Vancouver cop who suggested the same.
“It’s the administration of justice. It’s clear that if you’re a threat to society, it is clear that if you’re a repeat offender, you should be locked up,” said Kash Heed.
“What happens is the judges in British Columbia disregard that. I don’t know why.”
Heed said that B.C. Premier David Eby and Sharma should go to the chief judge and bang their fists on the table, saying, “Your judges are not enforcing the Bill Reform Act the way it was intended to be. What are you going to do about it?”
Attorney General addresses Vancouver crime concerns
Government of B.C.
We were hopeful that the Attorney General’s office would grant us an interview to discuss the concerns of the Vancouver mayor, who expressed concerns that many residents likely feel. Instead, we got a statement from Sharma. In her statement, she said, “I understand the fear and concern that many can feel when they see these tragic stories.”
“I share their frustration about repeat violent offenders, and we’ve been fighting for changes to keep them off the streets,” she said.
Sharma suggested that active work was being done on this file, stating that the province is developing policy ideas to strengthen the Criminal Code, which would lead to more severe consequences for repeat offenders. She also mentioned that she met with the new Federal Justice Minister, Sean Fraser.
She admitted that more needs to be done and that affected communities “can’t wait.”
“I will continue to work with attorneys general across the country to push for those changes. And we’re not just advocating, we’re putting resources into the system, so we can do what we can in B.C. to prevent repeat violent offending.”
In other notable Vancouver crime-related news, the Vancouver Police Department recently unveiled its new chief.