Conservative MLAs Call for Immediate Reform of BC’s Charge Approval System to Confront Surrey’s Crime Wave
Conservative MLAs Bryan Tepper (Surrey-Panorama) and Mandeep Dhaliwal (Surrey North) are demanding Premier David Eby and the NDP government immediately reform British Columbia’s charge approval system and address the critical shortage of Crown Counsel in Surrey so that the Surrey Police Service (SPS) and the RCMP can crack down on criminals terrorizing local families and businesses. “Premier Eby’s soft-on-crime approach has turned BC into a haven for criminals,” said MLA Bryan Tepper, Opposition Critic for Community Safety. “Surrey’s families and small businesses face threats, extortion, and gunfire, but the SPS and RCMP are stuck waiting on Crown Counsel that Surrey doesn’t even have. Ontario’s police can lay charges directly; BC must adopt the same system for extortion cases immediately.” British Columbia has the strictest charge approval threshold in Canada, requiring police to wait for Crown Counsel approval with near 100% certainty of conviction. This process is severely hamp...