BC Conservatives promise 250 more police officers and end to open drug use in public safety plan
Lorne Doerkson announced the Conservative Party of BC's public safety platform on October 6, promising 250 new officers trained through JIBC, 500 more RCMP over five years, and amendments to the Mental Health Act to allow involuntary care.
Reported. A news outlet found this. voche.me names the outlet and links its report. Read the original report on dailyhive.com.
The Conservative Party of BC released its public safety platform on October 6, 2026, promising to end open drug use in public spaces and add hundreds of police officers and prosecutors. The announcement was made by party leader Lorne Doerkson, as reported by Daily Hive Vancouver.
The policing promises
According to Daily Hive Vancouver, the party says it would expand the Justice Institute of British Columbia Police Academy to hire and deploy 250 more police officers. The party also says it would add 500 RCMP officers and 150 civilian staff over five years, directing them to rural and regional communities.
On the courts side, the party promises to hire 50 new Crown prosecutors and work with Ottawa to fund 20 more trial judges. The party says this would prevent criminals from going free because of court delays.
Drug use and mental health
The party says it would deploy more police to what it describes as the hardest-hit neighbourhoods to end open drug use. The platform also includes a proposal to amend the Mental Health Act so that police can connect people who have severe addiction, mental illness, or brain injury with involuntary care. The party calls this approach compassionate intervention.
Daily Hive Vancouver reports that the party pointed to B.C.'s drug decriminalization pilot, which ran from 2023 until the province reversed it in 2024. Under that program, anyone 18 or older could possess up to 2.5 grams of certain illicit drugs without arrest. The reversal, Daily Hive explains, gave police the power to enforce against drug use in public spaces.
What other parties have said
Daily Hive notes that the BC Greens released their drug policy on October 2 with candidate Lisa Lapointe, the former chief coroner. Lapointe said the toxic drug crisis would only be addressed with regulated alternatives and accessible voluntary treatment. The BC NDP had not released a drug policy platform at the time of the Daily Hive report.
These are campaign promises. The Conservative Party of BC is in opposition. You can compare what each party has promised at BC provincial parties. Voting day is October 24, 2026, with advance voting from October 16 to 21.
Questions this story answers
What did BC Conservatives promise for public safety?
On October 6, 2026, BC Conservative leader Lorne Doerkson announced his party's public safety platform. According to Daily Hive Vancouver's report, the plan includes training and deploying 250 more police officers through the Justice Institute of British Columbia (JIBC) Police Academy, adding 500 RCMP officers and 150 civilian staff over five years to rural and regional communities, hiring 50 new Crown prosecutors, and working with Ottawa to fund 20 more trial judges. The party also says it would expand psychiatric services, crisis response, and residential treatment for addiction.
What does the Conservative plan say about drug use in public?
The Conservative Party of BC says it would end open drug use in B.C.'s towns and cities. According to Daily Hive Vancouver's October 6, 2026 report, the party promises to deploy more police to what it describes as the hardest-hit neighbourhoods. The party's plan also includes introducing what it calls compassionate intervention: taking people with severe addiction, mental illness, or brain injury off the street and into care. The party says it would amend the Mental Health Act so that police officers can connect people with involuntary care.
What was BC's drug decriminalization pilot?
Daily Hive Vancouver's October 6, 2026 report explains that Health Canada granted B.C. a three-year exemption under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act starting in 2023. Under this pilot, anyone in B.C. aged 18 or older could possess up to 2.5 grams of MDMA, methamphetamine, cocaine, or opioids for personal use without arrest. In 2024, B.C. made illicit drug use in public spaces illegal again, working with the federal government to give police the power to enforce against public drug use. The decriminalization pilot is now ended. The Conservative platform references this history as the background for their policing proposals.
How many RCMP officers does the Conservative plan add?
According to Daily Hive Vancouver's October 6, 2026 report, the Conservative Party of BC says it would add 500 RCMP officers and 150 civilian staff over five years. The party says this would bring more policing to rural and regional communities. These are the party's own figures, and they have not been independently verified. These are campaign promises that would require federal cooperation to implement, since the RCMP is a federal force.
What do other parties say about public safety?
Daily Hive Vancouver's October 6 report notes that the BC Greens released their toxic drugs policy on October 2 with candidate Lisa Lapointe, the former chief coroner of the province. Lapointe said the toxic drug crisis will only be addressed if regulated alternatives are available and voluntary treatment is accessible. The BC NDP had not released their drug policy platform at the time of the Daily Hive report. You can compare all party positions at /bc/provincial-2026/parties.
What is the JIBC Police Academy?
The Justice Institute of British Columbia (JIBC) operates a police academy that trains officers for police services across the province. The Conservative Party of BC says it would expand the academy to hire and deploy 250 more police officers. This is the party's own proposal; it does not reflect any current expansion plan at the institution. The figure of 250 comes from the party's platform as reported by Daily Hive Vancouver on October 6, 2026.
Is the Conservative public safety plan already in effect?
No. This is a campaign promise made on October 6, 2026, eighteen days before the provincial election on October 24. The Conservative Party of BC is currently in opposition. A Conservative government would need to win the election and then introduce legislation and new budgets to carry out these commitments.
When is voting day for the BC provincial election?
Voting day is Saturday, October 24, 2026. Advance voting runs from October 16 to October 21, 2026, giving voters six days to cast a ballot before voting day. You can find your voting place, check whether you are registered, and get information on voting by mail at /bc/provincial-2026/where-to-vote. If you are not registered, you can register in advance or register at your voting place on election day.
Sources
The pages this story draws on. Open one to check a claim yourself.
- Daily Hive Vancouver, October 6, 2026dailyhive.com
- Conservative Party of BC, Safe Streets announcementconservativebc.ca
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