The Greater Langley Chamber of Commerce was pleased to meet with Langley RCMP, including the Officer in Charge, to discuss crime and public safety issues affecting local businesses.

A key focus of the discussion was the newly announced Chronic Property Offending Intervention Initiative, which will bring more coordinated attention to prolific property crime offenders in Langley.

The Chamber is optimistic about this program because it responds directly to concerns we hear from members about the repeated, grinding nature of street crime, vandalism, theft, shoplifting, and disorder. These incidents may not always make headlines, but they create real costs for businesses through property damage, stolen goods, security expenses, staff time, and concerns about employee and customer safety.

Police in many communities report that a relatively small number of individuals are responsible for a disproportionate amount of property crime. The Chronic Property Offending Intervention Initiative focuses on people involved in repeat offences, while also recognizing that many have complex needs related to housing instability, mental health, and substance use.

The program brings together prosecutors, police, probation officers, correctional supervisors, community integration specialists, and mental-health liaisons from Forensic Psychiatric Services. This coordinated approach is designed to identify individuals who require enhanced supervision and support based on their criminal history, level of community disruption, and risk of reoffending.

For businesses, this kind of targeted and coordinated response matters. Local employers should not be left to absorb the ongoing cost of repeat theft, vandalism, and disorder as simply part of doing business.

The Chamber believes public safety, including the impact street crime has on businesses, employees, customers, and local investment, must remain a key priority for all levels of government.

We appreciate the opportunity to meet with Langley RCMP and look forward to continued dialogue on how this initiative will work in Langley and how the business community can support efforts to make our community safer.