Premier of British Columbia announces increased funding for the RCMP across the province | Radio NL

The British Columbia government is opening its wallet to further fund the RCMP in that province.

Making the announcement late Wednesday afternoon from Victoria, David Eby said the BC government would provide $230 million to address a number of public safety issues:

–filling long-standing vacancies in rural police detachments in communities with populations under 5,000;
–enable provincially funded regional RCMP units to reach their fully authorized staffing level of 2,602 officers;
–the hiring of additional officers in specialized units, such as the Major Crime Section, the Child Sexual Exploitation Unit and the BC Highway Patrol. These units serve rural and urban communities across the province and can help relieve some of the work of municipal police forces, freeing them up to focus on other crimes;
–create a solid basis for acting on the anti-money laundering recommendations of the Cullen Commission.

The province says staffing these units will improve public safety by increasing overall capacity to investigate homicides and missing persons where foul play is suspected, and by deterring motor vehicle causes of death, such as speed, distracted driving and impaired driving.

“Everyone deserves to feel safe, and my government is working on all fronts to protect our communities and make them stronger,” Premier David Eby said in a statement.

“As part of our Safer Communities Action Plan, we will help ensure the RCMP can operate at full capacity to keep people safe. Today’s actions will help stabilize policing and provide our provincial police force with the personnel resources it needs to address public safety concerns head-on.