Tools of dangerous crimes targeted by province

The B.C. government is going after more devices used by criminals for dangerous activities in the drug trade.

Under the civil forfeiture program, police will be able to seize radio jammers and after-market GPS trackers from vehicles or other property as part of drug trafficking investigations.

Criminals use radio jammers, which are illegal under the federal Radiocommunication Act, to block the ability of police using GPS to monitor them and to block radio communication by authorities.

Police say a growing number of traffickers use after-market GPS trackers to track rivals they are targeting with violence or to keep tabs on subordinates, vehicles and high-value contraband items such as guns and drugs.

The devices are being included in the list of equipment related to trafficking. Vehicles or other property containing them may be considered instruments of unlawful activity.

“We need to ensure that our civil forfeiture program is working as well as it can, so when police advise us about how drug gangs and organized crime are changing the ways they do business in B.C., we are committed to taking necessary steps to keep pace,” said Mike Farnworth, Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General. “These latest regulatory changes build on the legislative updates we made in 2019 and will help reduce violent crime and other activities that pose clear risks to public safety.”

Items currently prescribed in law as presumed to indicate unlawful activity include weighing scales and records of drug sales and debts.

As well, the Civil Forfeiture Office (CFO) is clarifying the legal definition of “likely to cause serious bodily harm.” This will help ensure greater consistency in the court’s understanding and application of this term. In turn, it will create a clearer path to achieving forfeiture of property used in ways that have posed a significant risk of harm to others.

The CFO is also formalizing its ability to secure specific information from more public bodies, which can strengthen cases against money laundering and gang activity. Public bodies added to the prescribed list in the regulation include the BC Securities Commission, the Motor Dealer Council, the BC Lottery Corporation, BC Hydro and BC Assessment.

“While the office has existing, individual information-sharing agreements with some of these bodies, prescribing them in regulation will enhance openness and transparency, and facilitate consistent agreements across multiple agencies,” Farnworth explained.

Types of information sought from these organizations may include investigative material and vehicle licensing and registration information.