The Greater Langley Chamber of Commerce welcomes the expansion of the Province’s Chronic Property Offending Intervention Initiative to include a hub serving Langley.

Launched as a pilot last year, the initiative focuses on individuals involved in repeat property crime and public disorder, including theft, shoplifting, vandalism, and other offences that have a significant impact on businesses and communities.

The program brings together police, prosecutors, probation officers, corrections staff, mental-health professionals, and community support services. Its goal is to improve coordination across the justice system through enhanced monitoring, timely enforcement, stronger release planning, and connections to housing, mental-health, substance-use, and income supports where appropriate.

This is an important issue for Langley businesses. Nearly one in five Chamber members reported experiencing theft, vandalism, or another form of crime during the past year. Members also tell us that many incidents go unreported because of the time involved, the perceived likelihood of an outcome, and the repetitive, grinding nature of these offences.

“Too many of our member businesses know these offenders on a first-name basis because they see them so often,” said Cory Redekop, CEO of the Greater Langley Chamber of Commerce. “We have to expect our systems to get a handle on repeat offending, and I’m pleased to see this chronic offender initiative coming to Langley.”

A relatively small number of repeat offenders can create significant costs for businesses through property damage, stolen goods, security expenses, staff time, and concerns about employee and customer safety. These impacts are especially difficult for small businesses, which often have limited capacity to absorb repeated losses.

The Chamber supports a coordinated approach that uses to criminal justice system to hold repeat offenders accountable, while also addressing the complex factors that can contribute to continued offending. We are encouraged that Langley will receive a dedicated hub and want to see the initiative deliver meaningful and measurable reductions in property crime and street disorder.

The Chamber has already reached out to the Langley RCMP to better understand how the local program will operate and to explore opportunities for collaboration with the business community.

Langley Chamber in the News:   Watch the CBC’s story on this issue >