THE BC Liberals on Thursday said that despite Premier David Eby’s claims of “getting violent offenders off our streets,” the actual results on B.C.’s streets are worse than ever.
This past week, there was a violent break-in as well as a shooting in Surrey, and a brutal assault in New Westminster. Meanwhile, a man accused of shooting a pellet gun at first responders on the Downtown Eastside was released from custody; a man accused of bringing a gun into a downtown Vancouver pub was found to be breaching bail; and Abbotsford police won a unique order to identify a teenaged stabbing suspect who skipped bail. The week prior, a man in Vancouver pleaded guilty to five separate assaults in a single month.
“David Eby might say public safety has improved in his 50 days as Premier, but I imagine he’s the only person who thinks so,” said Mike Morris, BC Liberal Critic for Public Safety and Solicitor General, and former RCMP officer. “He made big promises of change, yet the results are not bearing fruit. In fact, the situation seems worse than ever, and people don’t feel any safer than they did 50 days ago.”
After Eby took a half-measure in updating policies around bail conditions, the data hasn’t shown any improvement since his announcement, the BC Liberals said.
“This is a government that has ignored our calls to fix Eby’s failed catch and release justice system, that has gone to great lengths to suggest the public safety crisis on our streets isn’t as bad as everyone thinks,” said Surrey South MLA and former RCMP officer Elenore Sturko. “How can we expect to see any improvement to this situation when David Eby and the NDP seem unwilling — or unable — to not only take urgent action, but get results?”