State police could help mitigate gang-related violence and crime: Wally Oppal

, according to former Attorney General Wally Oppal, which could help mitigate gang-related violence and crime.

"This includes community opinion that local forces may have officers with more contacts on the ground," he said. said.

He added that ideally there should be a Home Office, Lower Mainland, Vancouver Island and other local police that cooperate and share information.

"Right now they're working on a lot of concerns between [the General Murder Investigation Team] and different teams in different police departments," he said.

His IHIT of the RCMP, which is responsible for investigating homicides, suspicious deaths and high-risk BC) will also investigate. A police officer with 14 different police agencies, Metro He is based in Vancouver at the RCMP's "E" division headquarters. It is mandatory to investigate gang activity in the area.

Oppal reflected on his own work leading an investigation into the Robert Pickton Police investigation.

“The women were taken from the Downtown East Side, Vancouver Police jurisdiction, and killed in Port Coquitlam, RCMP jurisdiction, but no information was shared…VPD Silo and was not getting the information it needed.This is a classic example of how local police can do a better job of incorporating local opinions."

State police will also be held accountable to the state attorney general, he said, rather than what currently exists in the RCMP reporting to the Ottawa-based commissioner.

Some RCMP officers may remain in the community for an extended period of time, but may also be removed or transferred at the request of the federal government, Opal added. 64}

In April, a commission appointed to reform British Columbia's police law announced that the state's police service would be empowered to achieve a new vision for policing and community safety. Recommended to migrate.

A task force, composed of parliamentarians from all three parties, was established to consider reforms on independent oversight, training, funding, service delivery, and other issues.

No National Guard since 1950 BC. It is policed ​​by 12 local police departments and 130 of his RCMP detachments, policing the rest of the province, including nearly all of rural BC. Her RCMP contract with the state runs him through 2032. The city of Surrey, with her RCMP detachment the largest in Canada, is transitioning to its own city force.

When the report was released in his April, RCMP Vice-Chairman and BC Commandant Dwayne MacDonald said he would not consider the report. said it takes time.

"The RCMP plays a complex role in BC as it provides services at the local, state and federal levels," he said in a statement.

Opal said he is currently working with the office of the Attorney General of Alberta. The government last week launched awebsiteoutlining what the state police would look like.

British Columbians were divided on whether to end the RCMP in favor of the state police, according to a new poll conducted in mid-July.B.C. research poll firm Research Co. 39% are in favor of replacing the RCMP with the National Guard, while 38% are against. About 23% of respondents were undecided.

Support for repeal of the RCMP was highest in Northern BC, which is largely policed ​​by the military, with 45% of respondents. This was followed by Fraser Valley and Vancouver Island, each with 43% in favor of repealing his RCMP, and Metro Vancouver with his 40%. Only 26% of respondents in Southern BC. I thought it would be a good idea to convert to the local army.

With files from The Canadian Press and Katie DeRosa