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Kevin Falcon is committed to building on the historic investments the BC Liberal Government has made in fighting crime and supporting public safety over the past 10 years.

Fight Crime Smarter
• Support intelligence-based policing by enabling special units to target areas with high crime rates. This approach is modeled on the successful initiative started in New York City that dramatically reduced street level criminal activity. This push back on crime would be built utilizing and acting on the data provided by PRIME, BC’s integrated police records system.
• In regions where integrated police units exist, we will ensure that all police forces partner and work together with those units.

Attack Petty Crime
• Stop the unacceptable levels of metal theft by requiring scrap metal dealers to report all metal purchases, quantities, and cost to the police within 24 hours, and to hold the material for seven days. Dealers would also be required to record the identity information of scrap metal sellers.
• Require pawn shops to report all purchases to the police. Pawn shops would also be required to record the identity information of goods sellers.
• Require retailers to report the sale of crystal meth precursors to police, and expand the Meth Watch program into all relevant retail outlets.
• Leverage public safety dollars by examining increased funding for crime prevention programs, volunteer safety programs, and school liaison police officers.

Support Victims and Frontline Public Safety Teams
• Review funding levels, service outcomes and resources for victims of crime to determine whether improvements can be made.
• Take care of those who take care of us by adding acute cardiovascular disease and esophageal cancer to the list of disorders recognized as occupational diseases for firefighters. Medical and WorkSafeBC research show firefighters are at significantly higher risk of these diseases due to their work in difficult and often poisonous environments.

Continue the Fight Against Gangs
• Continue our aggressive attack on gangs, including supporting the efforts of police outside urban areas. Over the past 18 months, 200 gangsters have been arrested, and more than 140 are still in jail. Forty homes have been seized under proceeds of crime legislation. Government should also consider adding more prosecutors to speed up court cases and, ultimately, convictions. We will also undertake a review of all legislative options and national and international best practices to strengthen our response to organized crime.
• Partner with local police forces to go after any proceeds of crime over $10,000, and return 50% of assets seized to local government to support local policing. Criminals should have to prove that their assets were purchased with legal money—if they can’t, police should seize them.
• Pursue mandatory minimum sentences with the federal government for any restricted or prohibited firearm charge in BC. We need to get guns out of the hands of dangerous criminals.
• Give police the ability to immediately seize any vehicle in which a restricted or prohibited firearm is found.

Want to support Kevin Falcon? Click here to join the BC Liberal Party. The BC Liberal Party leadership vote will take place on February 26, 2011. Any member of the Party in good standing on Feb. 4, 2011 is eligible to vote.