The B.C. government is reporting success regarding a program cracking down on high-risk repeat offenders.
The Repeat Violent Offending Intervention Initiative (ReVOII), which launched in 2023, is being hailed as a success as the province says the program has resulted in reduced police interactions, faster charge approvals and increased time in custody for repeat violent-offenders.
Through the program, high-risk reoffenders are identified and are monitored more closely. Police and probation officers provide detailed information to prosecutors to support them while making charge assessments in ReVOII cases.
When appropriate, people in the program are connected with services to help them stop reoffending.
To date, the province says over 500 high-risk offenders have been supported by the program.
“The repeat violent offending program is proving a co-ordinated intervention that is making a real difference in our communities,” Nina Krieger, minister of public safety and solicitor general, said in a release. “The impact is far-reaching for people’s safety in their neighbourhoods and downtown cores, with violent offenders being better monitored and kept off our streets for longer.”
The province evaluated the program internally, focusing on its results with police interaction, prosecution decisions and time in provincial custody.
Police interactions for offences involving people in ReVOII halved, dropping by 1,500 instances in the year-and-a-half after being chosen for the program. Violent-offence interactions also dropped by 56 per cent by 480 instances using the same period of time.
Crown Counsel sought detention in 84 per cent of “appropriate” ReVOII cases compared to cases not in the program, in which detention was sought in 67 per cent of cases.
The province also says individuals in the program are spending more time in provincial custody compared to those not in the program at a rate of 48 per cent versus 32 per cent.
It said continuous reoffenders that resist participation in ReVOII are met with longer periods of incarceration, while willing participants are staying charge-free longer.
The program is operating in 12 hubs around B.C. in: Nanaimo; Victoria; Vancouver; Surrey; New Westminster; Abbotsford; Kamloops; Kelowna; Cranbrook; Prince George; Williams Lake and Terrace.
As part of the 2025 budget passed in June, the B.C. government put $67 million toward community safety programs such as ReVOII, with a further $235 million being invested over the next three years.