Заместитель начальника полиции Виктории требует пересмотра программы возвращения преступников из других провинций

Loopholes leaving out-of-province fugitives on Victoria streets: VicPD deputy chief Loopholes with fugitives Frustration over the B.C. Fugitive Return Program has at least one senior Victoria police official suggesting it’s time the program sharpened its teeth. The fugitive return program is supposed to enable VicPD and other police forces to send offenders with out-of-province warrants back to face justice, but there are too many instances where it’s rendered unworkable, said Victoria police deputy chief constable Jamie McRae. “It’s unfair that we are essentially taking on other people’s problems,” McRae said. The deputy chief constable said it may be time to tweak the program to at least compel other jurisdictions to accept the fugitives they issue warrants for so criminals face the consequences of their actions. In an interview with the Times Colonist this week, McRae said with only one fugitive this year returned by VicPD to the place where he was first charged, it’s clear the program isn’t working as intended. He stressed it’s no one person’s or agency’s fault. “It really is just a whole bunch of little barriers that get put into place that ultimately create a big barrier and make it really challenging,” he said, noting the department is getting frustrated. So far this year, VicPD officers have interacted with 80 people who have warrants from other jurisdictions, and 30 of those would qualify for the return program. However, only one of those criminals has been returned. That happened Aug. 13. McRae said the problem areas are Victoria and Vancouver, which tend to attract criminals for the same reason they attract tourists — mild climate and beautiful cities. He said if the program is unworkable, it can mean an offender gets a free pass for a serious crime. McRae said he doubts people realize that if someone has committed a serious crime, other than homicide, and the offender flees, there’s a chance they may never be prosecuted for it. “If they’re not returned for it, there are no consequences for that action,” he said. “We understand, and we deal with that frequently, but I’m not sure the wider community understands it as clearly.” Noting flaws in the system, Victoria council directed Mayor Marianne Alto last month to lobby federal and provincial public safety ministers to expand and improve the offender return program. “It’s about fixing a system that isn’t working because it hasn’t yet been fully built,” said Coun. Dave Thompson during debate over the matter. “If people get charged and they issue a warrant, they should face trial rather than skipping town and hiding out in another city.” The B.C. Fugitive Return Program, founded in 2012 and run by the RCMP, identifies and coordinates the return of fugitives with out-of-province warrants currently residing in this province. The provincial Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General said it targets individuals who pose the greatest risk to the public. This includes people wanted for organized crime warrants, breach of sexual assault probation, or violent crimes beyond simple assault. The ministry noted the warrants must also meet specific criteria, including that it is in the public interest to return a fugitive for prosecution, that the prosecution is viable and that the fugitive will be detained if returned under the program. On the surface it seems as though it should work. And the B.C. RCMP claims it has been “highly successful.” In a statement, RCMP spokesman Alex Berube said the program has returned 279 fugitives to various jurisdictions to face charges on outstanding warrants since 2012. He said the program coordinator advises and guides police officers across Canada on arresting offenders with warrants and returning them to their province or territory to face prosecution. He said that it relies heavily on strong collaboration and participation from multiple partners, including police agencies, prosecution services, and sheriff services. McRae said inter-agency co-operation can be a hurdle and has room for improvement. While he noted various reasons some offenders can’t be returned — B.C. warrants that take priority or offences don’t qualify, for example — a growing problem is some jurisdictions just don’t want the offender back. In some cases, they may decide they no longer want to prosecute or that it’s no longer in their public interest to proceed with returning the offender, he said. The Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General confirmed the return program only assists returning individuals once the out-of-province Crown prosecutor has confirmed public interest for prosecution and that all the other criteria of the program are met. McRae said he completely understands some cities may not want a violent offender back on their streets, but he said there has to be a mechanism to bring that offender to justice. Compelling a jurisdiction to take back an offender they have issued a warrant for aligns with his thinking, he said. While addressing the Victoria Esquimalt Police Board earlier this summer, McRae said it can be frustrating when you know you’re dealing with an offender who has an out-of-province warrant, but the other community won’t take them back. Over the years, VicPD has worked outside the fugitive return system at times, he said. He said VicPD has worked directly with other police agencies or the Crown to return offenders to jurisdictions that were willing to pay for it. For now, when a jurisdiction refuses the return, VicPD will make note of the person and monitor them. In cases where they may be returned, when an offender with outstanding warrants is identified, they are also not immediately arrested but monitored. In Victoria, McRae said a VicPD coordinator who liaises with the Fugitive Return Program screens offenders. They determine if there are any outstanding B.C. warrants, which would kill the process, as they would stand to face them first. If the offender meets all the criteria for the Fugitive Return Program, contact starts with the police or Crown council in the warrant-issuing jurisdiction. If the decision is made to return them, VicPD works to find and detain the person. Once the department locates the offender, they are turned over to the courts and officers from the B.C. Sheriff’s Service. Those officers escort the offender, and they usually fly commercial. “We do have to give the airline some notice,” McRae quipped. The offender is then dropped off to either the police or Crown in the other jurisdiction. It all takes time and plenty of labour. McRae said the offender they managed to return on Aug. 13 had multiple warrants and knew he was likely on the police radar, so he left Victoria. “He was on a bit of a run, and he actually got located in a different jurisdiction, not on the Island,” he said, noting in total it took two months to get him returned. According to the province, the B.C. Civil Forfeiture Office has provided more than $400,000 through the annual police equipment and training grant program to help offset the costs of returning offenders on outstanding warrants to their home provinces. More BC News