Latest news with #BCRCMP
Global News
2 hours ago
- General
- Global News
Body of missing Merritt man found after he was last seen in March 2023
The body of a man missing from the Merritt, B.C., area since 2023 has been found, according to his family. Miguel Mack was last seen on Feb. 27, 2023, by his family and was reported missing on March 3, 2023. On March 1, 2024, BC RCMP's Southeast District Major Crime Unit said they believed Mack was a victim of a homicide. In a social media post on Monday, Mack's family members said his body had been found. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy 'This is not the outcome any of us had hoped for,' the post read. 'We want to thank everyone who shared information, searched, prayed, and supported our family during this heartbreaking time. Your kindness and care meant so much to us.' Story continues below advertisement 0:42 Family of Miguel Mack maintain hope during search: 'We believe in the power of prayer.' They said funeral arrangements will be announced when confirmed. Anyone with information is asked to contact the major crimes unit tip line at 1-877-987-8477. No arrests have been made in the case and RCMP did not provide any details about where the remains were found.
CBC
3 days ago
- Business
- CBC
Business group 'cautiously optimistic' over $5M B.C. public safety program
British Columbia has launched a new $5 million public safety program aimed at reducing robbery, shoplifting, vandalism, property damage and other non-violent street crimes in high-traffic business areas. Terry Yung, minister of state for community safety and integrated services, said the program is a "direct result" of feedback from police and the business community across the province. "We heard loud and clear what they wanted," Yung told Friday's news conference in Vancouver. "Street-level crime such as theft, robbery [are] undermining businesses and making it sometimes untenable for them to be around." Yung said the initiative will help police address repeat offenders, building on the work of the "highly successful" Specialized Investigation and Targeted Enforcement program, which is aimed at stopping those who commit violent crimes. WATCH | Retailers call for crackdown on street crime: Retailers call on government to address public safety crisis 2 years ago Duration 2:02 In Vancouver, he said the specialized investigation program contributed to a 27-per-cent decrease in violent crimes in the Hastings Crossing area of the Downtown Eastside and a 45-per-cent drop in violent assaults involving weapons in the Gastown neighbourhood. The minister said the B.C. RCMP is administering the new Community Safety and Targeted Enforcement program and police departments across the province may apply for funding by submitting proposals for reducing non-violent street crime. The province has allocated up to $5 million to launch the initiative, though Yung said the money is "a start." The B.C. government will continue to support policing while waiting for results from the program before deciding the next steps, he said. "But that doesn't preclude other investments the province is making in terms of housing, in terms of health care, mental health, drug addiction treatment, poverty reduction and other social service agencies that we're funding," he said. "We can't just arrest our way out of crime ... We have to look at the undercurrents of what [is] causing this to happen." B.C. public safety officials are also "watching carefully" as the federal government considers bail reform to address repeat offending, Yung added. "We are looking forward to seeing what concrete changes are coming from the new government," he said. A statement from the province said the program will provide police with "enhanced tools, technology and investigative resources to curb property crimes." It will also support police as they develop co-ordinated operational plans that involve businesses, outreach teams and social services, the statement said. RCMP Chief Supt. Wendy Mehat told the news conference the new program is "a step forward" and another tool for police to use in combatting street-level crime by repeat offenders that is "eroding a sense of safety" in communities across B.C. She said police departments may seek funding to increase patrols in areas with high levels of retail theft or to address drug trafficking in downtown areas. Mehat said the initiative supports a "combined response" to crime, including connecting people in crisis with supports. Bryan Tepper, the B.C. Conservative MLA for Surrey-Panorama and Opposition critic for community safety and integrated services, said he welcomed the extra funding for police, as a former Mountie himself. However, he questioned whether more funding for police alone would help address street crime, saying that more funding should have gone toward a court system that is struggling to process the high volume of cases coming its way. "They're not sentencing people to anything that is going to deter in the future, or that's going to help people with their ... drugs and addiction and mental health issues," he told CBC News, calling for bail reform to deal with repeat offenders. Retailers welcome program The general manager of loss prevention with London Drugs, Tony Hunt, also took part in the announcement, saying crime was "driving fear into families and workers" and threatening the viability of jobs and entire neighbourhoods. "Retail and service workers who make up the backbone of our country's labour force are facing aggressive behaviour, organized retail crime, and both violent and non-violent repeat offenders," he said. Retailers are "spending more than ever before" on security, he added. Hunt said he welcomed the province's new safety initiative as a "meaningful step forward" in supporting local efforts to reduce crime and build community safety. Kalith Nanayakkara, a senior policy analyst with the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, said that an average small business spent $5,000 over the last three years to deal with vandalism and street crime. "Last year, 57 per cent of small businesses in B.C. were impacted by crime in some way," he told CBC News.
CTV News
4 days ago
- Business
- CTV News
B.C. launches public safety program aimed at stopping non-violent street crime
Pedestrians cross East Hastings Street in the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver, on Thursday, June 13, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck VANCOUVER — British Columbia has launched a new public safety program aimed at reducing robbery, shoplifting, vandalism, property damage and other non-violent street crimes in high-traffic business areas. Terry Yung, minister of state for community safety and integrated services, said the program is a "direct result" of feedback from police and the business community across the province. "We heard loud and clear what they wanted," Yung told Friday's press conference in Vancouver. "Street-level crime such as theft, robbery (are) undermining businesses and making it sometimes untenable for them to be around." Yung said the initiative will help police address repeat offenders, building on the work of the "highly successful" Specialized Investigation and Targeted Enforcement program, which is aimed at stopping those who commit violent crimes. In Vancouver, he said the specialized investigation program contributed to a 27-per-cent decrease in violent crimes in the Hastings Crossing area of the Downtown Eastside and a 45-per-cent drop in violent assaults involving weapons in the Gastown neighbourhood. The minister said the B.C. RCMP is administering the new Community Safety and Targeted Enforcement program and police departments across the province may apply for funding by submitting proposals for reducing non-violent street crime. The province has allocated up to $5 million to launch the initiative, though Yung said the money is "a start." The B.C. government will continue to support policing while waiting for results from the program before deciding the next steps, he said. "But that doesn't preclude other investments the province is making in terms of housing, in terms of health care, mental health, drug addiction treatment, poverty reduction and other social service agencies that we're funding," he said. "We can't just arrest our way out of crime ... We have to look at the undercurrents of what (is) causing this to happen." B.C. public safety officials are also "watching carefully" as the federal government considers bail reform to address repeat offending, Yung added. "We are looking forward to seeing what concrete changes are coming from the new government," he said. A statement from the province said the program will provide police with "enhanced tools, technology and investigative resources to curb property crimes." It will also support police as they develop co-ordinated operational plans that involve businesses, outreach teams and social services, the statement said. RCMP Chief Supt. Wendy Mehat told the news conference the new program is "a step forward" and another tool for police to use in combatting street-level crime by repeat offenders that is "eroding a sense of safety" in communities across B.C. She said police departments may seek funding to increase patrols in areas with high levels of retail theft or to address drug trafficking in downtown areas. Mehat said the initiative supports a "combined response" to crime, including connecting people in crisis with supports. The general manager of loss prevention with London Drugs, Tony Hunt, also took part in the announcement, saying crime was "driving fear into families and workers" and threatening the viability of jobs and entire neighbourhoods. "Retail and service workers who make up the backbone of our country's labor force are facing aggressive behavior, organized retail crime, and both violent and non-violent repeat offenders," he said. Retailers are "spending more than ever before" on security, he added. Hunt said he welcomed the province's new safety initiative as a "meaningful step forward" in supporting local efforts to reduce crime and build community safety. This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 30, 2025. Brenna Owen, The Canadian Press
Globe and Mail
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Globe and Mail
Police investigating whether officer leaked provincial document that showed B.C. is downplaying safer-supply risks
British Columbia's director of police services is investigating whether a law enforcement officer was responsible for leaking government presentation slides that revealed a 'significant' portion of safer-supply opioids is being diverted and trafficked, a disclosure that prompted swift policy change. The documents were obtained by opposition B.C. Conservative MLA Elenore Sturko, who provided them to journalists and introduced them in the legislature in February. The revelation undermined the government's longstanding public assurances that diversion of opioids that are part of the province's prescribed alternatives program was not widespread. Assistant deputy minister and director of police services Glen Lewis requested the investigation into the unauthorized disclosure in a Feb. 10 letter to Assistant Commissioner Will Ng, acting commanding officer at the B.C. RCMP. 'Specifically, it is alleged that a copy of a presentation by the Ministry of Health to a law enforcement workshop that occurred in January 2025 was disclosed,' Mr. Lewis wrote. 'This presentation included sensitive information, including investigative information.' He cited section 44 of B.C.'s Police Act, which states that the director may order an investigation into alleged acts committed by RCMP officers or others appointed under the legislation. Ms. Sturko, a former police officer, told The Globe and Mail in February that she received the documents from multiple sources, some of whom saw the presentation in late 2024 and others in early 2025. She said in an interview Wednesday that she was contacted on April 30 by a B.C. RCMP sergeant who informed her that Mr. Lewis had ordered the investigation to determine if a police officer had leaked them to her. She said she told the sergeant that she received the documents from a third-party who is not a police officer. Sergeant Vanessa Munn, a non-commissioned officer with the E Division of the RCMP in B.C., told The Globe that investigators spoke with a number of individuals to determine the source of the information and if there was a breach of a law enforcement officer's responsibilities. The investigation focused on actions of any active law enforcement officers, and Ms. Sturko is not under investigation, Sgt. Munn said. A request for comment from Mr. Lewis was forwarded to the Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General, which did not respond by deadline. Ms. Sturko said it was offensive for government 'to make a witch hunt for a whistleblower,' and that she intended to raise a point of privilege in the legislature, as members must be able to fulfill their parliamentary duties without undue obstruction, interference or intimidation. 'I wish the government showed as much concern for the diversion of safe supply and the warnings to the public and education they need about the dangers of drugs, as they did into worrying about who was the source of their embarrassment,' she said. Premier David Eby underscored that the investigation was launched by the director of police services independent of government, and that government cannot direct the RCMP on its work. He also gave credit to Ms. Sturko for doing her job. 'I was an opposition MLA for a number of years,' he said at an unrelated news conference in Victoria on Wednesday. 'If I had ever been so fortunate as to receive documents like that about the government of the day, I would have done exactly what she did. I disagree with her often on policy but, in this case, game recognize game.' The leaked 38-slide presentation was prepared by the Ministry of Health and presented to RCMP officers at the force's provincial headquarters in Surrey, B.C. It included details on several investigations, including that diverted opioids from the prescribed alternatives program were being trafficked 'provincially, nationally and internationally.' As well, the documents revealed that more than 60 pharmacies were accused of paying patients illegal cash incentives for their prescription business, in a kickback scheme The Globe reported on in March, 2024. The documents were seen as a damning admission by the governing NDP, which until that point had publicly downplayed the extent to which the drugs were being diverted. Within two weeks, the province announced changes to the prescribed alternatives program to require that new clients ingest their medications in front of a health care provider, and could not take them home. Mr. Eby, asked Wednesday whether police resources should be used on hunting down a whistleblower, said the police's focus should be on the problem pharmacies.
CBC
09-05-2025
- CBC
5 youths plead guilty in 2024 swarming of 13-year-old girl in Kelowna, B.C.
Prosecutors say five youths involved in a violent swarming of a 13-year-old girl in Kelowna, B.C., last year have entered guilty pleas. Video captured the swarming of the girl last September at Gyro Beach on Okanagan Lake, where police said about 30 people were present. The video shows a girl grabbing the victim and shoving her to the ground before another punches her several times about the head, while others in the crowd kick at the girl, then laugh as she lies immobile on the ground. Damienne Darby, a spokeswoman for the B.C. Prosecution Service, says one young person pleaded guilty to one count of assault in January and was handed a sentence of two years' probation in April. Darby says four other young people have since entered guilty pleas to the same charge, with court appearances scheduled in June and July. WATCH | Video of violent Kelowna attack circulated on social media: Kelowna, B.C., RCMP investigate violent attack on teen girl widely shared on video 7 months ago Duration 2:04 RCMP in the Okanagan are investigating a violent and public attack on a teen girl. As Brady Strachan reports, it happened Friday in a Kelowna park. Video of the incident has been circulating in the community. Kelowna RCMP said at the time there had been 41 reported incidents of youth violence in 2023, an increase from 16 in 2022 The offenders cannot be named under the Youth Criminal Justice Act.
