B.C. Conservative Critic for Attorney General MLA Steve Kooner has written to Attorney General Niki Sharma to take swift and decisive action on “organized criminal extortions,” stating: “I am deeply alarmed by your government’s ongoing failure to meaningfully acknowledge or respond to these escalating threats.”
The B.C. Conservatives in a press statement also noted that that there was “another potential extortion case where attackers shot at Reflections Banquet Hall in Surrey on June 7,” adding: “Community members and an owner of the Banquet Hall have spoken out, alleging an attempt at extortion by organized crime. SPS have confirmed the business sustained gunfire damage.”
In his letter to Sharma, Kooner said: “South Asian business owners across the province, particularly in Surrey and other areas of the Lower Mainland and Fraser Valley, continue to face intimidation, extortion, and targeted violence from organized gangs; many with international criminal connections.”
He said: “I write to you with deep concern following a second targeted shooting at a family home in Surrey’s Panorama Ridge neighbourhood, now under investigation by the Surrey Police Service (SPS) as yet another case of organized criminal extortion.
“Despite a visible police presence from SPS, the property was brazenly attacked and fired upon with dozens of rounds. This is the second such incident targeting this home in recent weeks, and part of a disturbing trend of organized criminal extortions across the province. And yet you and your Ministry remain silent.”
Kooner told Sharma: “No action has been taken since your appearance at a town hall on the issue last year. Your mandate letter neglects to address extortion, despite the federal government making it abundantly clear the administration of justice is a provincial responsibility.”
He said: “High-profile instances of organized criminal extortion are no longer isolated to other parts of the country: We are now witnessing a coordinated extortion campaign in British Columbia (BC) similar to those seen in Ontario and Alberta. In other parts of the country, extortion has led to a serious decline in public safety and even murders.
“Your lack of communication as Attorney General on these serious instances of violence and extortion leave the affected families and businesses feeling abandoned.”
Kooner said B.C. Conservatives are calling for immediate action:
* Partner with South Asian businesses to restore trust with law enforcement
* Launch anonymous, multilingual reporting lines for instances of extortion
* Close loopholes and ensure quicker convictions for intimidation and extortion
* Work with the federal government to increase penalties for organized crime extortion and intimidation cases, including deportation for foreign nationals
* Establish a joint task force between RCMP and local BC law enforcement to address increased instances of transnational crime across the province
* Improve international cooperation on extradition and foreign crime financing
* Investigate foreign crime in BC, including alleged links to Indian gangs.
