Premier David Eby surprised many on Sunday when he announced a government directive to Crown prosecutors to do more, where possible, on “the risk that repeat violent offenders pose to public safety in British Columbia.
For months, both Eby and Attorney General Murray Rankin had been saying issuing such a directive would run contrary to federal laws on bail, and that the idea – first raised by the Opposition BC Liberals – largely wasn’t a doable way to respond to rising random attacks by violent repeat offenders who keep getting arrested and then let out on the streets to reoffend again while awaiting trial.It starts on Oct.
He did as he often does, and started conducting his own research and digging into the topic himself. What emerged Sunday was the declaration that government could, and would, intervene with a directive, whether the BC Prosecution Service liked it or not. Ultimately, it’s up to judges, not prosecutors, to decide whether to hold someone in custody while awaiting charges. But prosecutors have a role to play in opposing or consenting bail, which can carry weight for a judge.
It also commits to better data sharing, so Crown will have the best information from police to give to judges who are deciding whether to let someone back on the streets on bail. “The second track around intervening, helping people break the cycle in and out of jail, preventing crime before it happens.”The plan was widely praised by Vancouver and Victoria police, the BC RCMP, the mayors of Nanaimo, Surrey and Vancouver, as well as mental health and First Nations groups.
“More than 900 innocent people have been violently attacked by strangers in Vancouver alone since the BC Liberals first called on David Eby to issue a directive to Crown Prosecutors and end his harmful catch and release policy for repeat criminal offenders,” Liberal leader Kevin Falcon said in a release.
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