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Ministry of Community Services |
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TRAFFIC FINES HELPING COMMUNITIES FIGHT CRIME |
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VICTORIA
– Increased public safety, more
police officers on the streets, and better strategies
to combat drugs and vandalism are some of the benefits of the $140
million returned to municipalities across British Columbia through the
Province’s Traffic Fine Revenue Program, said Community Services Minister Ida
Chong and Solicitor General John Les.
Information on how
individual local governments are spending the traffic fine revenue, and the
number of officers they have hired, is now available on the Ministry of
Community Services website at: www.cserv.gov.bc.ca/lgd/policy_research/tfrs_reports.htm.
“Our
government kept its commitment to return 100 per cent of traffic fine revenues
to municipalities in 2004. Communities have been innovative in finding ways to provide more
officers, smarter policing and increased community crime-prevention programs,” said Chong. “Taxpayers can see for themselves in
the report how municipalities are investing fine revenues, and municipalities have the
opportunity to share some of the ways they are working to enhance public
safety.”
Thanks to the funding, more than 450 officers have been hired in municipalities
across the province, reserve and auxiliary constable programs have been
expanded, and civilian complaint takers hired to allow police officers to
return to patrol duties. As well, several Lower Mainland municipalities
invested in the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team, and other jurisdictions
have established integrated municipal response strategies to deal with drug
houses.
“When we bumped the fines returned to 100 per cent
from 25 per cent, we gave municipalities more resources to fight crime and
enhance public safety in B.C.,” said Les. “Municipalities are making the
decisions on how to do that in their own communities and to benefit their own
citizens – whether it’s tackling grow-ops or strengthening victim services
programs.”
The provincial
traffic fine revenue comes from ticket fines and court-imposed fines on
violation tickets and is returned to B.C. municipalities that pay
their own direct policing costs. The amount of money a
municipality receives is based on its contribution to total municipal policing
costs.
Since its expansion in 2004, when the Province
began returning 100 percent of traffic fine revenues to municipalities, an additional $110 million has gone to municipalities for
public safety, for a total of $140 million.
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contact: |
Communications Manager Ministry of Community Services 250 356-6334 |
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For more information on government services or to subscribe to the Province’s news feeds using RSS, visit the Province’s website at www.gov.bc.ca. |
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