The province is launching a new counter-human trafficking unit.
Public Safety Minister Nina Krieger was at B.C. RCMP's E Division in Surrey on Wednesday (July 30) for the announcement, joined by Chief Supt. Elija Rain and a representative from the Salvation Army's Illuminate program. The unit was formally created and up and running with staff in March.
Krieger said the new specialized unit will have 12 members. Investigations used to be part of a counter-exploitation unit that had two members dedicated to human trafficking: one for investigative work and one for administrative work.
"While anyone can be subject to human trafficking, victims tend to disproportionately be the most vulnerable or marginalized members in communities," Kreiger said.
She added human trafficking is often hidden at times, in plain sight.
"This means it is challenging to investigate and difficult to prosecute."
In 2023, there were 43 cases of alleged human trafficking reported to police. However, a news release from the Public Safety Ministry says that number could be higher as human trafficking can be significantly under-reported.
The funding for the new unit is part of the province's previously announced $230 million for Provincial Police Services for B.C. RCMP to hire officers in specialized units, such as this human trafficking one, as well as major crimes, internet child exploitation and B.C. Highway Patrol.
Rain said human trafficking is a crime that can be hard to detect, and the new unit strengthens RCMP's ability to investigate these types of crimes. He said the unit will not be focused on adults who engage in consensual sex work.
He said the unit was created because of the complex nature of investigating and prosecuting human-trafficking cases.
"But don't forget, sometimes just rescuing a victim and getting them away from that environment is a success. So it doesn't necessarily have to be a prosecution of the trafficker, although that is the ultimate goal, but rescue and the removal of individuals from that forced sex labour is a success as well."
Statistics Canada reported that between 2013 and 2023, just over 4,500 cases of human trafficking were reported to police services in Canada. Rain said most of those victims are under the age of 24.
In B.C., human-trafficking cases have involved victims as young as 11 years old, Rain added.
He said that while this is a provincial unit, the members are also working with counterparts throughout the country, as well as the United States Department of Homeland Security and the FBI. He added the unit's mandate is to cover the entire province, but in areas with municipal police detachments, the team will coordinate with local police.
Jenea Gomez, director with Illuminate's anti-human trafficking programs, said that as frontline service providers, they see the needs, the gaps and the opportunities.
"Victims often can't directly speak out and ask for help, and so they rely on others, on us, to spot the signs and to speak out for them," Gomez said. "Survivors deserve trauma-informed law enforcement officers who know how to respond and are adequately prepared for the complexities of their cases."
Premier David Eby was asked about the funding in an unrelated news conference in Kitimat Wednesday. He said the funding for law enforcement around human trafficking is "to give them the support they need to make a meaningful impact to keep people safe in our province and particularly vulnerable women who may be trafficked in British Columbia."
He said with the additional resources, he hopes both RCMP and municipal police departments will be able to make a meaningful difference in terms of safety, but to also ensure the public is better aware of human trafficking and how to combat it.
The United Nations has designated July 30 as World Day Against Trafficking in Persons to raise awareness around the issue.
