B.C. attorney general says increasing arrests to fight violent crime is ‘futile’

British Columbia’s attorney general says the government has no plans to arrest its way out of the province’s crime issues because it won’t work.

Murray Rankin says fighting crime by arresting more people is “futile,” and the government is instead considering a range of options to keep people safe.

Opposition Liberal Leader Kevin Falcon told the legislature that the government has continued a “catch-and-release” policy where repeat offenders are quickly freed from custody despite being accused of violent crimes.

“Most recently, a young woman in Vancouver was followed into her apartment, thrown on the ground, and assaulted by a young man, just the other day,” he said, adding there are four violent, random attacks happening in Vancouver “every single day.”

“Criminals are emboldened by the lack of enforcement of this government.”

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He points to the government’s own commissioned prolific offender report that cites increasing incidents of violent crime in communities throughout the province.

Falcon says the government has the power to direct Crown prosecutors to detain more people accused of violent crimes, but it has not taken that measure.

The B.C. government said last month it would begin implementing some of the two dozen recommendations in the report that concluded repeat offenders and random crime is causing “incredible distress” in communities.

The report itself largely focuses on mental health, with some key recommendations including funding for crisis response teams, setting up secure housing for those with complex mental health challenges, and getting people with serious mental health disorders out of the criminal justice system.

-With files from Martin MacMahon