BC Creates a Special Homicide Unit as Gangs Involved in 46 Percent of Murders

B.C. Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth speaks about crime reduction during a press conference at the Provincial Court of British Columbia in Nanaimo, B.C., on April 12, 2023. The Canadian Press/Chad Hipolito

British Columbia is forming a specialized gang-related homicideinvestigation team, saying gangland murders now make up almost 50 percent of the killings in the province.

Data from the Ministry of Public Safety says gang-related homicides have climbed from 21 percent of all killings in the province in 2003 to 46 percent last year.