People deserve to feel safe in their community. It’s a simple truth and an experience that everyone should have. Unfortunately, across B.C. we are witnessing a deeply concerning rise in crime and violent attacks and it seems like the problem is only going to continue to grow more serious.
A particular driving force behind this increase in violent crime is repeat offenders, a small group of people with a long history of previous offences, who commit a disproportionately large portion of the crime we are seeing on our streets. Due to policies put in place by the current government, it is increasingly common for people who get arrested for serious crimes to be released back on to the street to reoffend.
It’s something we’ve witnessed right here in Williams Lake, and it is having a profound impact on our communities.
With the Legislature back in session, our BC Liberal Caucus spent much of the last week calling on government to address this issue of repeat offenders and end the ‘catch and release’ justice system established by previous Attorney General — and likely future Premier — David Eby.
We highlighted a long list of violent offences — a sword attack on an Abbotsford gas station clerk; an offender with 220 police files in Kelowna, released again; women with their kids in strollers, having rocks hurled at them in Vancouver — and current Attorney General Murray Rankin had the gall to say, “simply arresting people out of the situation, we know, is going to be futile.”
Criminals need to be arrested. They need to face actual consequences for their actions, and it’s appalling to hear the Attorney General suggest that such a fundamental piece of our justice system is futile.
People are sick and tired of the NDP’s ‘catch and release’ justice system and they want change now —they want and deserve to feel safe in their neighborhoods once again.
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