Police

Interagency Case Assessment Teams (ICATS): Best Practices in Managing Highest Risk Cases of Intimate Partner Violence

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Interagency Case Assessment Teams (ICATs) were introduced in British Columbia in 2010 in response to a high-profile domestic violence homicide that occurred on Vancouver Island. ICATs were developed by the Ending Violence Association of BC (EVA BC) and their Community Coordination for Women’s Safety (CCWS) program and were formalized in an amendment to the provincial … Read more

The Antisocial Use of Imitation Firearms Among Youth – Phase I

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Imitation firearms, including airsoft guns and pellet guns, can present serious public safety concerns. Although in Canada the possession of a fake weapon or imitation firearm is not prohibited, it is considered a criminal offence when used in the commission of another Criminal Code offence. The British Columbia Taskforce on Illegal Firearms (2017) reported that … Read more

The Complexities of Investigating and Clearing Harassment Related Intimate Partner Violence Files

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Intimate partner violence is a serious concern in Canada. Approximately every five days, a woman is killed by their current or former intimate partner (Canadian Domestic Homicide Prevention Initiative, 2018). Research previously conducted by the Centre for Public Safety and Criminal Justice Research at the University of the Fraser Valley identified that, in 2016, the … Read more

Identifying Trends and Police Responses to Elder Abuse and Neglect in British Columbia

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Adults aged 65 years and older represent an increasing proportion of the Canadian population. Similarly, rates of violent crimes involving elder victims have reportedly been increasing in Canada (Conroy, 2021). The report explored the trends in police files involving elder victims of violent crimes through analyses of police data and survey data collected from frontline … Read more

An Evaluation of Situation Tables in British Columbia

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Situation Tables (also known as Hubs) have become an increasingly popular means of addressing crime and several co-occurring social problems in communities across Canada. Situation Tables represent a holistic approach to individual and community well-being and safety. They are premised on a model of social service collaboration that aims to identify vulnerable individuals and connect … Read more

Developing an Effective and Efficient Police Response to Lower Priority Calls for Service

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In Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) detachments and municipal police departments across British Columbia, the largest proportion of calls for service are considered lower priority calls, commonly referred to as Priority 3 and Priority 4 calls (De Jager, 2021). For the most part, Priority 1 calls are dispatched immediately and officers travel to the scene … Read more

Examining Police Protest and Conflict Liaison Practices in Canada

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Protest and conflict have increasingly become a common feature of political life in many countries, including Canada. The policing of protests is complicated, given that it sits at the intersection of two vitally important, but sometimes conflicting, political interests, namely maintaining public safety and the public’s right to protest. Protests have historically been an important … Read more

An Examination of the Impact of Court Rulings on Police Investigation Time and Resources

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In 2005, a report published by Malm et al. documented the rising demands for police services from the RCMP in British Columbia since the 1980s. The authors examined whether the amount of work necessary to respond to calls for police services increased or decreased over that period of time. The results demonstrated that not only … Read more

Assessing the Effectiveness and Efficiency of School Liaison Officers in British Columbia – A Qualitative Study of School Liaison Officers and School District Administrators

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The Crime Reduction Research Program (CRRP) is the joint-research model in British Columbia between academics, the provincial government, and police agencies operated by the Office of Crime Reduction – Gang Outreach. The CRRP is supported and informed by a Crime Reduction Research Working Group which includes representation from the Ministry of Public Safety Solicitor General … Read more

An Examination of Police-Based Prolific Offender Programs and Teams in British Columbia

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The Crime Reduction Research Program (CRRP) is the joint-research model in British Columbia between academics, the provincial government, and police agencies operated by the Office of Crime Reduction – Gang Outreach. The CRRP is supported and informed by a Crime Reduction Research Working Group which includes representation from the Ministry of Public Safety Solicitor General … Read more