Crime’s profits reinvested in rural Manitoba safety projects

Justice Minister Matt Wiebe announced this week that more than $138,000 from Manitoba’s Criminal Property Forfeiture Fund (CPF) will support a series of safety and policing initiatives in southern Manitoba.

“The Criminal Property Forfeiture Fund redirects the proceeds of crime to projects that protect Manitoba families and enhance public safety in communities here in southern Manitoba and across the province,” Wiebe said. “The province is pleased to provide funding to several initiatives identified by valued agencies that work to keep communities safe.”

The fund, created in 2009, operates by selling off property seized through criminal investigations and distributing the proceeds to organizations that promote community safety, support victims of crime, and prevent youth involvement in gangs. Since its inception, the program has disbursed millions of dollars to dozens of Manitoba communities.

Where the money is going now

The latest round of funding targets three communities, Winkler, Morden, and Steinbach, with programs that combine practical frontline support with prevention and education:

• Winkler Police Service will receive $99,000 to conduct a regional policing model study with neighbouring Morden. The study will examine ways to strengthen cooperation and resource-sharing between the two growing communities.
  
• Winkler police will also receive $22,165 to purchase medical equipment for a new licensed police emergency medical support unit, giving officers the tools to deliver lifesaving care in critical incidents before paramedics arrive.
  
• The Manitoba Association of Chiefs of Police (MACP), on behalf of the RCMP, will use $15,000 to host a violence threat risk-assessment training session in Steinbach. The training will bring together RCMP officers, staff from the Hanover School Division, and community partners to recognize and address early signs of violence.
  
• A further $2,500, through MACP on behalf of Steinbach RCMP, will support the Headway START program, an early intervention initiative that helps at-risk youth and their families access supports and build healthier paths forward.
  

Local police see tangible benefits

For Winkler Police Chief Ryan Hunt, the funding represents both an opportunity and a responsibility.

“We would like to extend our sincere gratitude to the Manitoba government for the generous support through the Criminal Property Forfeiture program,” Hunt said. “This funding will allow us to establish a specialized medical support unit, significantly enhancing our ability to respond to critical incidents and improving our service to the community.”

The medical support unit, Hunt explained, could prove critical in emergencies where officers are the first to arrive on scene, anything from car crashes to violent incidents.

This is not the first time communities have seen direct benefits from the CPF program. In recent years, funding has helped make purchases like body armour and helmets for Winnipeg Police Service officers, K-9 unit equipment for Brandon Police Service, and mental health crisis response training for rural RCMP detachments.

Victims’ services have also benefitted. Funds have supported domestic violence shelters and organizations that provide counseling and resources to those recovering from trauma.

In Steinbach, school officials and youth advocates say the new training and prevention work could help create safer environments for young people. By teaching educators and officers how to recognize early warning signs of violence, officials hope to intervene before situations escalate.