Increases in criminal activity in Fort St. John and other communities is leading to public frustration with the justice system, said Mayor Lilia Hansen in a Nov. 29 letter to Minister of Public Safety Mike Farnworth.
The deterioration of society is related to drug addiction and mental illness, and the "inability of the justice system to hold anyone accountable in a meaningful way,” notes Hansen.
“There are many consequences to this decay and one of them has been that more people are advocating for actions that could be described as vigilante, or extrajudicial,” she added. “This reflects a growing lack of faith that the system is still viable and that the institutions of law and order are still effective.”
Revolving-door arrests, releases, and overdose deaths are demoralizing to watch, continued the mayor, noting that many in her community have expressed fear over the rise in crime and want to see a judicial system that effectively holds criminals accountable.
Hansen says the letter is a reaction to a series of events within the city, with a notable area being the Triangle Park neighbourhood on 112th Avenue, which has been plagued by violence, where two shootings took place and an overdose on the steps of a residence.
“By all accounts this is a place that is obviously involved in the street level drug trade. Activity goes on there night and day. There are countless short duration stops by pedestrians and vehicles, disputes, fights, and assaults,” wrote Hansen, noting residents have become frightened and intimidated over mundane activities like picking up their mail.
No matter what efforts are made by police, there are no changes to the situation created by the residence, she added, and a neighbouring home is occupied by a young family with small children.
Stray bullets have ripped through the family’s house in the middle of the night while they were sleeping, explained Hansen further.
“Police have identified, and we are told, have charged those responsible for the previous shooting but this is scant comfort to anyone. Certainly, it made no difference in preventing the latest shooting,” she wrote.
Hansen ends her letter by questioning why the Community Safety Act and the Community Safety Amendment Act were never brought into force, noting she feels the BC Civil Liberties Association prevented the enactment of this legislation by deeming it unnecessary.
“Their objections to the proposed legislation seem incredibly indifferent and tone-deaf to the suffering occurring in communities throughout this province,” concludes Hansen.
You can read the mayor’s letter in full here:
Letter Public Safety Minster 112923 by Tom Summer on Scribd
