Independent report into prolific offenders in B.C. delayed, province says

The B.C. government says it will be delayed in releasing a study into prolific criminal offenders in the province due to the complexity of the issue and the volume of feedback investigators have received.

The province announced in May that it had commissioned an independent study into repeat offenders, and would release the study's findings within 120 days.

But in a news release Thursday, the Ministry of the Attorney General said the expert panel studying the issue wouldn't make the Sept. 2 deadline.

The province says it will release an executive summary of the study, including recommendations, in mid-September, while the full report will be available by the end of September.

The prolific offenders investigation is being led by former Vancouver deputy police chief Doug LePard, and criminologist Amanda Butler.

The two have been investigating the causes of rising property crime and random assaults, particularly in urban areas where a small number of people are responsible for an outsized number of crimes.

Their findings will be informed by input from B.C. mayors, police, the B.C. Prosecution Service, health authorities, and the B.C. First Nations Justice Council, the province said.

"An overwhelming number of people have reached out to the experts to share their experiences and provide recommendations on prolific offenders, including about highly visible crime in downtown cores and unprovoked, violent stranger attacks," the ministry said Thursday.

"The challenges underlying these issues are complex, requiring thoughtful analysis and creative solutions."

The investigation was triggered, in part, by a letter B.C.'s urban mayors sent to the attorney general in April, asking for help grappling with a rise in crime committed by prolific offenders, particularly in downtown retail areas.