Municipalities in British Columbia continue to enhance their policing and build on community-based public safety programs, thanks to the Province's traffic fine revenue share funding, said Ida Chong, Minister of Community Services, and John Les, Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General.

"Local governments are embracing the challenge to use the funds from the traffic fine revenue sharing program in ways to help make their communities safer," said Chong. "This program is about helping communities ensure their residents are more secure in their homes and on the streets of their towns."

This year, the Province returned $58.8 million in traffic fine revenues. The funding has allowed municipalities to continue hiring more police and explore a wide range of projects, including outreach services for youth, Aboriginal policing initiatives and methamphetamine awareness programs.

"Returning the traffic fine revenues has meant a dramatic increase in the number of police officers working across the province. In fact, we've had over 560 more police officers sworn in since 2003," Les said. "More police officers mean British Columbians are safer in their own communities."

This grant program assists municipalities that directly pay police enforcement costs. The provincial traffic fine revenue comes from ticket fines and court-imposed fines on violation tickets, and the amount of money a municipality receives is based on its contribution to total municipal policing costs.

Since 2004, the Province has returned 100 per cent of traffic fine revenues to municipalities for a total of $199.8 million. To view reports from municipalities, please see: www.cserv.gov.bc.ca/lgd/policy_research/tfrs/reports07.htm