YOUR PERSPECTIVE: Repeat offenders now using swords, crossbows machetes and poles – what next?

As if it were straight out of a movie, a sword was used to attack a gas station clerk during a robbery in Abbotsford just a couple of weeks ago. Swiftly arrested by the tenacious Abbotsford Police Department, it likely comes as no surprise that this incident involved a repeat offender. We are seeing a rising number of violent attacks across the province. This dangerous and scary reality is fuelled by rampant prolific offenders thanks to former Attorney General David Eby’s catch-and-release criminal justice system and the NDP government’s lack of interest in listening to the experts to fix it.

Over the past few weeks, we have seen attacks with a sword, a crossbow, a machete and even a pole with almost all the attackers in these situations having had previous contact with the police multiple times. According to a recent poll released by the Angus Reid Institute, the catch-and-release system has clearly caused the public to lose confidence in the government’s ability to keep people safe, with 60 per cent of people indicating that crime is increasing in their communities.

People have been feeling this way for a long time. The fear, anxiety and concerns about a surge in repeat offenders were strongly voiced when 13 urban mayors released a letter earlier this year calling for increased provincial government support in dealing with prolific offenders. For example, the letter highlighted that the same 40 offenders had 6,300 interactions with police in one year in Vancouver alone. The numbers are similar for other B.C. cities, with 12 people in Nanaimo having 1,300 negative interactions with police, 15 people in Kelowna having 1,039 negative interactions, and so on. I know the new wave of mayors and councillors that British Columbians elected last weekend will have to carry this strong public sentiment on tackling crime. As the former mayor of Abbotsford myself, I know that this cannot be done unless the NDP government finally decides to change its approach.

David Eby’s response to the concerned mayors’ letter back when he was Attorney General was to commission a report on prolific offenders by a pair of experts. The report was quietly released on a Saturday just a few weeks ago. Once you read it, David Eby’s reluctance to talk about its contents starts making sense. The report completely dismisses David Eby and the NDP’s claims that crime is going down. It also outlines how government can step in and stop the catch-and-release criminal justice system we now have. But instead of taking action, we continue to hear excuses from the government as they blame everyone else rather than take accountability.