Surrey/Abbotsford – On November 28, Abbotsford Mayor Ross Siemens and AbbyPD Chief Watson joined federal Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree, Premier David Eby, and representatives from all levels of government and law enforcement agencies for a summit to discuss a joint response to extortion and advocate for long-term sustainable funding to address these growing criminal challenges.
At the summit, federal and provincial leaders announced a $5 million combined investment to support victims and address the ongoing extortion crisis in the Lower Mainland. This investment includes $4 million to establish a dedicated drug enforcement team focused on combating the drug trade, gang violence, and extortion threats south of the Fraser and $1 million to support extortion victims.
This is a positive step in supporting our police agencies as they address these threats and work to keep our communities safe. The City of Abbotsford will continue to support the AbbyPD with the resources they need to combat extortion-related violence in our city and we look forward to more conversations like this in the future.
In the joint announcement in Surrey, from the Federal Government release: To strengthen Canadian law enforcement’s capacity to disrupt organized crime groups that control the illegal drug market in B.C., the Government of Canada, in collaboration with the B.C. Government, is creating a Regional Integrated Drug Enforcement Team (RIDET). Backed by a federal investment of $4 million over four years, provided through Canada’s Border Plan, this team will bring together law and border enforcement resources from multiple agencies and jurisdictions to fight organized drug crime and combat extortion. To maximize collaboration, participants will co-locate in a centralized hub.
Read the release here: https://www.canada.ca/…/trilateral-summit-brings…
