B.C. launches campaign urging South Asian community to report extortion threats
A campaign urging victims and targets of extortion threats in B.C.'s South Asian community to come forward has launched, but critics say raising awareness isn't enough.
The provincial government has launched a new campaign encouraging members of the South Asian community to report information tied to a disturbing rise in extortion threats, but some critics say the B.C. still isn't doing enough to protect people living in fear.
The Crime Stoppers digital media campaign, unveiled Thursday, aims to raise awareness and urge victims and witnesses to come forward. It comes amid a wave of threats and violence targeting South Asian-owned businesses in Surrey.
'It is important that the police have the information to work so that they can do their job,' said Public Safety Minister Gary Begg.
In recent months, several Surrey businesses have received chilling phone calls demanding millions of dollars, followed by targeted gunfire.
Similar extortion patterns have been reported across Canada. Police made mass arrests linked to organized crime in Ontario and Edmonton earlier this year, but so far, no arrests have been made in Surrey.
'My message to the public is number one, report. But number two, know that we are working extremely hard to really find these people and hold them accountable,' said Surrey Police Service Chief Const. Norm Lipinski.
Both Lipinski and Begg insist police have the resources they need, but not the co-operation.
'I don't think there is a shortage of expertise on the part of the police. I think there is a shortage of information,' Begg said.
Still, some critics believe the province's new $100,000 campaign doesn't go far enough.
'One hundred thousand dollars is a drop in the bucket. It doesn't send a serious message to the South Asian community that it's really scared right now,' said Steve Kooner, a B.C. Conservative MLA and the party's critic for the Attorney General.
'If this government wants to take this matter seriously, it really needs to look to different levels of government, and it needs to come up with solutions that are legislation-based.'
Begg says intelligence links the Lawrence Bishnoi gang — an organized criminal group — to some of the extortion cases. The premier has formally asked the federal government to label the group a terrorist organization.
'The federal designation would unlock additional tools and resources not just in British Columbia but across the country,' Begg said.
Surrey Police have said they are actively investigating 12 extortion files, but believe many more have gone unreported. Lipinski also said some of the cases may be linked to individuals 'beyond the borders of Canada,' and that they're working with the RCMP on the complex cases.
The new awareness campaign will run for 60 days and is also available in Punjabi.
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