GOVERNMENT says that people and businesses throughout the Lower Mainland will be safer as it implements a provincewide program to disrupt street disorder and retail crime in communities throughout British Columbia.
“The Chronic Property Offending Intervention Initiative (C-POII) is an important program that responds directly to what businesses and communities have been asking for as they deal with the impacts of street disorder and retail theft,” said Terry Yung, Minister of State for Community Safety and Integrated Services, on Thursday. “I’ve been touring communities throughout the province to hear directly from business owners and residents, and they’ve been clear they want stronger action. Expanding C-POII throughout the Lower Mainland and provincewide will help reduce repeat property crime and improve community safety.”
The program is modelled after the Repeat Violent Offending Intervention Initiative (ReVOII), which has reduced offending, increased charge approvals for high-risk violent offenders and strengthened justice-system responses for people in that program. The new initiative takes the same approach to property crime by providing targeted enforcement, enhanced monitoring and release planning, income assistance where eligible, and timely interventions for people involved in repeat property-related offending.
Throughout the Lower Mainland, 365 people involved in repeat violent, property, and public-disorder offences will be monitored through 11 hubs. This includes:
* 25 people in Abbotsford through one hub – 10 for C-POII, 15 for ReVOII
* 25 people in Chilliwack through one hub – 15 for C-POII, 10 for ReVOII
* 25 people in Langley through one hub – 15 for C-POII, 10 for ReVOII
* 25 people in Maple Ridge through one hub – 15 for C-POII, 10 for ReVOII
* 25 people in New Westminster through one hub – 10 for C-POII, 15 for ReVOII
* 80 people in Surrey through two hubs – 40 for C-POII, 40 for ReVOII
* 160 people in Vancouver through four hubs – 80 for C-POII, 80 for ReVOII
This work will strengthen local partnerships, improve regional co-ordination and create a network that can better support police operations and keep communities safer.
Police in many communities report that a small number of individuals are responsible for a disproportionate amount of property crime. The Chronic Property Offending Intervention Initiative focuses on people involved in repeat offences, such as theft, shoplifting, vandalism and street disorder. Many of them have complex needs related to housing instability, mental health and substance use.
Bringing together a co-ordinated team of prosecutors, police, probation officers, correctional supervisors, community integration specialists and mental-health liaisons from Forensic Psychiatric Services, the initiative works to identify people who require enhanced supervision and supports based on their criminal history, level of community disruption and risk of reoffending.
* Referrals are made collaboratively by police and B.C. Corrections using standardized criteria.
* People involved in repeat offending receive intensive supervision, including frequent contact with probation officers and close monitoring by police.
* Public safety and justice partners share information to support timely enforcement decisions and stronger court outcomes.
* People involved with repeat offending are connected with services, such as income assistance, housing, and mental-health and substance-use supports to address underlying factors contributing to offending.
“Businesses and communities across British Columbia deserve to feel safe and supported,” said Nina Krieger, Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General. “That is why we are targeting chronic property offending and dedicating more resources to proven, evidence-based initiatives that strengthen enforcement and support local businesses. We will continue working closely with police, local governments and community partners to build on this progress and keep our communities safe and vibrant.”
Budget 2026 is investing $16 million over two years to establish 13 new repeat-offender hubs, bringing the total to 25, to provide enhanced supervision and co-ordinated supports for as many as 865 people in communities throughout British Columbia.
Strengthening the Province’s efforts to target violent offending, vandalism and street disorder in communities throughout B.C., hubs based in 19 communities will provide services provincewide. Each hub will serve a defined geographical area to ensure rural, remote and smaller communities have access to services.
Through Budget 2026, the Province is continuing to take action to build safer communities, with a $139-million investment over three years to strengthen public safety, address repeat offending and improve timely access to justice.
Niki Sharma, Attorney General, said: “The Chronic Property Offending Intervention Initiative is helping police and corrections work better together to target the property crime and street disorder that is having a real impact on people, businesses and communities across British Columbia. This co-ordinated approach helps ensure prosecutors receive the information needed to make timely decisions, so that repeat offending is addressed consistently and appropriately.”
Inspector Shiv Gill, Vancouver Police Department, said: “Vancouver has been a ReVOII hub since 2023, and the model has been successful in reducing repeat violent offences and improving public safety. Expanding that model through C-POII will provide another strong resource to address chronic property crime and public disorder in Vancouver. Funding is only one part of the solution. It’s the VPD officers and their community partners who have the greatest impact on community safety, while also creating opportunities to address the underlying issues that contribute to repeat offences.”
Deputy Chief Andrew Chan, Vancouver Police Department, and president, B.C. Association of Chiefs of Police, said: “Repeat property offending and street disorder continue to place significant demands on front-line policing and community-safety resources across British Columbia. Initiatives like C-POII recognize that long-term improvements require co-ordinated responses between police, corrections, health care and community-based services to ensure higher-risk individuals are more consistently monitored and connected to appropriate supports. BCACP supports approaches that help achieve safer communities through practical, integrated, evidence-informed intervention strategies.”
Jane Talbot, president and CEO, Downtown Van, said: “Downtown Van welcomes the launch of the Chronic Property Offending Intervention Initiative from the province to strengthen its response to chronic property offending, vandalism, retail theft and street disorder. This investment recognizes the very real challenges that many of our member businesses face every day and represents an important step toward improving safety for businesses, employees, customers and the broader downtown community.”
Quick Facts:
* The Province is investing $16 million over two years to launch the provincewide Chronic Property Offending Intervention Initiative.
* Both C-POII and ReVOII are further supported by the Special Investigation and Targeted Enforcement program and the Community Safety and Targeted Enforcement program, which provide valuable resources to police to combat repeat violent offending, street disorder and retail crime.
* The ReVOII and C-POII programs build on the Province’s broader efforts to address the factors that can contribute to repeat offending, including expanding treatment and recovery services through Pathway to Hope and strengthening housing and supports through Belonging in B.C.
BACKGROUNDER
Provincewide coverage for repeat-offending hub model
With the expansion of the Chronic Property Offending Intervention Initiative (C-POII), a total of 25 hubs will support the supervision of as many as 865 repeat offenders throughout the province:
* as many as 445 people involved in repeat violent offending through Repeat Violent Offending Intervention Initiative (ReVOII)
* as many as 420 people involved in chronic property and public disorder offending through C-POII
It is supported by new, targeted resources, including:
* 13 hub co-ordinators based in community corrections offices
* nine correctional staff located in correctional centres to support enhanced release planning, in conjunction with the ReVOII custody teams
* 10 dedicated Crown counsel and 10 B.C. prosecution staff to support the dedicated prosecution component
All 25 hubs will deliver co-ordinated, provincewide coverage to enhance public safety and support more effective management of high-risk individuals.
Each hub is led by a co-ordinator who oversees case management and supervision, co-ordinates with police, B.C. Corrections, prosecution and other partners and service providers, and supports enforcement planning and service connections for people.
The 13 new hubs established through Budget 2026 include:
* Castlegar/ Nelson
* Chilliwack
* Courtenay
* Dawson Creek
* Kelowna
* Langley
* Maple Ridge
* Penticton
* Surrey
* Vancouver (three hubs)
* Victoria
These new hubs are in addition to existing hubs in:
* Abbotsford
* Cranbrook
* Kamloops
* Kelowna
* Nanaimo
* New Westminster
* Prince George
* Surrey
* Terrace
* Vancouver
* Victoria
* Williams Lake
Communities with more than one hub, including Kelowna, Surrey, Vancouver and Victoria, will operate standalone ReVOII and C-POII hubs, where all other communities will operate a blended ReVOII/ C-POII hub.
