Conservative MLA urges B.C.’s Attorney General to act against criminal extortion

A Conservative MLA and critic for B.C,’s Attorney General is calling on the province to take action to combat blackmailing and other criminal extortion in B.C.

Richmond-Queensborough MLA Steve Kooner wrote to Attorney General Nikki Sharma this week after several incidents that police believe could be linked to organized criminal extortion.

He referred to two incidents: in one, a home in Surrey was targeted by gunfire twice in two weeks. The second shooting happened in spite of a police surveillance trailer being parked outside the building.

Another incident over the weekend where shots were fired at a Surrey banquet hall.

Kooner said the owner believes the shooting was related to an extortion attempt.

“The community wants answers. The community is scared,” Kooner told 1130 News Radio.

He says the province needs to take those criminal events seriously.

“This is a live issue. It needs to be addressed immediately, and it needs to be taken very seriously,” he said.

Province allocated $100 million to fight criminal extortion

Kooner has outlined seven action steps the B.C. government can take.

“People do not know where this is originating from, and so that is why the government needs to take leadership here,” he added.

Kooner is demanding that the provincial government work closer with the federal government to increase penalties for extortion cases, along with growing partnerships with South Asian businesses to address low trust in law enforcement.

He is also asking the government to establish a joint task force between RCMP and local B.C. police agencies, to combat transnational crime.

The province says it has allocated $100 million annually in specialized programs to ensure British Columbians are safe from organized crime.

“We recognize the significant concern within the South Asian community regarding the ongoing extortion attempts by organized criminals,” Public Safety Minister Garry Begg said in an emailed statement.”

“I cannot stress enough the importance of reporting any threats or extortion attempts to the police immediately. This information is crucial for police to track down these individuals, bring them to justice and ensure that they’re prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

Last year, police in several jurisdictions across B.C. and Canada said they were investigating a rash of extortion events.