B.C. turns profit from crime proceeds

British Columbia's crime rate may be dropping, but business at the B.C. Civil Forfeiture Office shows no sign of slowingas the province does its best to make sure crime doesn't pay for criminals, at least.

The office has been in operation for more than three years and has made a profit of just over $8 million.

The office seizes and sells the proceeds of crime, such as homes where marijuana grow operations were set up, vehicles paid for by criminal money and any other ill-gotten gains.

Just a few months ago, the B.C. government boasted itslowest crime rate in decades. But Rob Kroeker, executive director of the forfeiture office, said the office's business hasn't slowed down.

"We haven't plateaued yet, our file referral rate the number of files that come in it's growing by more than 40 per cent a year still," he said.

About 40 per cent of the office's business comes from real estate,40 per cent fromcash seizures and the restfrom cars, jewelry and other items.

Used for crime prevention

But the program doesn't exist to makemoney, Kroeker said. Some of the proceeds go to fund crime-prevention programs.

About $1.5 million in grants has been handed out by the forfeiture office, most of it in small grants to crime-prevention programs.

The Vancouver Police Con Air program has been given $80,000 to return suspects arrestedin the city toother parts of the countrywhere warrants have been issued.

As well, Surrey fire Chief Len Garis said the City of Surrey has a very successful program to find and eliminate marijuana grow operations through an electrical fire safety program.

The city pays for about 90 per cent of the program, whichidentifies and searches suspect buildings, and Garis said he would like to see some of the funds poured into a similar effortfor the whole province.

International interest

Garis, who also speaks for the Fire Chiefs Association of B.C. on the issue, said he has consulted with officials across Canada, in the U.S. and as far away as Australia and Belgium about the proven program.

But Garis saidthe B.C. government is cool to the idea so far.

B.C. Hydro spokesman Dag Sharman said the company estimatesgrow operations take up about 1,000 gigawatt hours per year. That's equal toconsumption byabout 100,000 homes.

Hydro believes that half of that is stolen electricity, costing the company between $16 million and $33 million per year, based on figures are from the latest assessment done in 2006.

Kroeker said the civil forfeiture program is definitely a deterrent for crime and that's the main goal of the office. "We're here to go after property and take the economic incentive out of crime."

He said the latest trend they're seeing is criminals trying to sell their homes within days of a police search, to get rid of their assets. It doesn't work, Kroeker said, because his office can move within hours to secure the house.

"If it's proceeds (of crime) it doesn't matter if they sell, as long as we can show where the money went. We can just keep following the money."