More money from criminals goes towards funding the fight against crime.
The Manitoba government has handed over $644,000 from its criminal property forfeiture fund to the Winnipeg Police Service.
“(The fund) redirects the proceeds of crime to community initiatives that help build stronger law enforcement organizations and safer communities across the province,” Justice Minister Matt Wiebe said in a news release Tuesday.
“Providing CPF funding to the Winnipeg Police Service is an important public investment in the safety of all Winnipeggers and those who work tirelessly to keep us safe.”
The fund receives seized funds and proceeds from the sale of criminal property.
Winnipeg police will use the money to train and equip its members with ballistic security shields and less-lethal long-range weapons; provide emotional survival training; buy an inflatable shelter for an underwater search and rescue unit; and purchase new equipment for crisis negotiators.
The funding will also help train WPS air surveillance pilots and investigators who deal with sex crimes, missing persons, unidentified remains, pedestrian collisions, cybercrimes and cryptocurrencies.
The police service did not make a representative available for questioning on Tuesday.
The Salvation Army will receive $30,000 from the fund to pay for the travel it purchased over the summer, said Dianna Bussey, executive director of the charity's Correctional and Judicial Services organization.
The outreach vehicle, working 80 hours a week, connects directly with people on the streets and in camps, offering them resources and providing transportation to the hospital or shelters. On a typical shift, workers interact with 30 to 90 people, Bussey said.
“Those who encounter this vehicle are often those who have experienced violence. They have experienced very important situations in their lives, and life is difficult and difficult. They have often been victims of crime,” she said.
Bussey said the Salvation Army is grateful for the funding. His previous road car was “literally on its last wheel” before it was replaced.
Tyler Searle is a multimedia producer who writes for the Free Press's city desk. A graduate of Red River Polytechnic College's creative communications program, he has written for Stonewall Teulon Tribune, Selkirk Record And Express Weekly News before joining the newspaper in 2022. More about Tyler.
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