Police in Abbotsford, B.C., launch exit-support program to address extortions’ roots

Police tape is shown in Toronto, Tuesday, May 2, 2017. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graeme Roy

ABBOTSFORD — Police in Abbotsford, B.C., have launched a new program targeting people involved in planning or carrying out extortion-related violence, offering them an exit strategy.

The department says the new intervention and exit program is designed for people recruited into extortion violence, noting that organized crime groups “have long exploited vulnerable individuals for criminal activities.”

Police say vulnerable people such as youths and young adults are often lured to take part by the possible financial gains and difficult circumstances they might be in, and the program offers support for people seeking another way out.

Abbotsford police established a local task force to fight extortion this year, in addition to taking part in a similar provincial operation that is dedicated to the cases after a rise in violence linked to such crimes over the last two years.

Extortion-related violence has been blamed in a number of shootings in both Abbotsford and Surrey, and it’s also a problem in some communities in Alberta and Ontario.

Abbotsford Mayor and Police Board Chair Ross Siemens says in a statement that the new project is an attempt to address extortion-violence “at its roots.”

“Violence and extortion have no place in Abbotsford, and we are hopeful that those involved in extortion-related crime connect with Project Disengage and get the help they need to safely and permanently exit this lifestyle,” Siemens says.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 4, 2025.