SOFT-TOUCH VANCOUVER TOPS WITH CRIMINALS

For most folks, Vancouver is a magnet because of its natural wonders of
mountains and ocean as well as its banquet of classy cultural events,
festivals, restaurants and amusement spots.

But these delights don't faze the bank of criminals facing charges in other
parts of B.C. and Canada who make Vancouver their city of choice.

There are five times the number of charges being transferred to Vancouver
courts for sentencing than are leaving the city, according to numbers
culled from the statistical records at Vancouver Provincial Court on Main
Street.

In the year 2000, more than 400 accused from outside B.C. and 985 from
within the province requested that their criminal charges be heard in
Vancouver so they could plead guilty here.

The reason: While the Criminal Code applies from coast to coast, sentencing
is an individual thing. And our easy-going sentencing judges are popular
with the dark side. It translates into more work for Vancouver Provincial
Court; the average number of court transfers from other jurisdictions is
estimated to be 50 a week.

The stats tell the story: Drug traffickers in Northern B.C. (on average)
are sent away for 9.2 months, while the same guy sentenced on the same
charge in Vancouver gets less than half that.

Those who commit break-and-enters on homes and businesses on Vancouver
Island net an average of 9.9 months in jail, while the crook who pleads
guilty in front of a Vancouver judge averages 6.6 months.

And, yes, B.C. taxpayers are expected to pick up the tab for any
out-of-province sorts sent into custody here.