Centre for Public Safety and Criminal Justice Research
This report examines British Columbia (BC) building fires as a function of the general construction type. The fires that are examined were reported to the BC Office of the Fire Commissioner (OFC) between October 20 2008 and October 19 2013. The data included in this analysis was provided by 339 reporting agencies across the province, … Read more
The illegal status of marihuana has been the subject of debate for decades.1 Quantitative accounts of the police response to marihuana possession offences using data from Statistics Canada are frequently quoted in the media, by advocate groups, political parties, policy makers, police, and by academics to support their positions. However, there is very little discussion … Read more
This report is designed to contribute to the mission of the Canadian Safety and Security Program (CSSP) to enhance Canada’s emergency resilience infrastructure. The CSSP created the Centre for Security Science in 2006 to help coordinate Canada’s efforts to build and reinforce our public safety and security infrastructure. The Centre for Security Science has … Read more
This report examines the fires that occurred in basements of British Columbia (BC) single-detached residential properties, reported to the BC Office of the Fire Commissioner (OFC) between October 20 2008 and October19 2013. The data included in this analysis was provided by 296 reporting agencies across the province, sampled from first nations band areas, non-municipal … Read more
There is increasing attention being paid to better understanding and consequently decreasing the incidence of on-the-job injuries and deaths within the fire service across North America. Traditional orientations toward training are being challenged as firefighter safety is increasingly being associated with enhanced situational awareness.
In June of 2011, BC Hydro commenced implementation of its Smart Metering Program, which involved converting every residential property in BC from legacy metering to wireless technology smart meters. This Smart Metering Program involves replacing existing electrical meters that are now becoming obsolete, with a comprehensive wireless smart metering system. As of August 2013 an … Read more
Marihuana growing operations are an enduring crime and social problem for British Columbia. At the end of the 20th Century, the province had witnessed a surge in the number of marihuana growing operations coming to the attention of police forces. Growing in sophistication and increasingly moving indoors into residential neighbourhoods to avoid detection by law … Read more
This document examines the feasibility of creating a National Fire Information Database for Canada. In pursuing this, we examined what data are currently collected and the structure of organizations responsible for maintaining national databases in other countries. Because of the allocation of jurisdictional responsibilities relating to the services provided by fire departments in Canada, creating, … Read more
Communities across British Columbia are conducting safety inspections of suspected marihuana grow operations and clandestine drug labs to address the health and safety hazards associated with these sites, including fire, unsafe structural alterations, illegal and unsafe wiring, mould and chemical spills. Marihuana grow operations are 24 times more likely to catch fire than a typical … Read more
Both hobbyist gardeners and criminals who cultivate marihuana use the same types of high-powered hydroponic equipment in a residential setting, with no monitoring by authorities. The equipment’s power requirements (e.g., 1,000-watt bulbs and transformers) exceed a typical home’s electrical capacity, and therefore require professional installation. However, due to a lack of regulation, this installation is … Read more