David Screech doesn91裸聊视频檛 mince words when asked about street disorder and crime around his business in downtown Victoria.

He described vehicle break-ins, people defecating on or near his store property, and someone pulling a knife on an employee in the store91裸聊视频檚 parking lot.

Screech, a former mayor of the Victoria-area community of View Royal, has worked at Greggs Furniture & Upholstery since 1981 and has owned the business since 2000.

But the iconic store is slated to close later this year, and Screech said deteriorating safety around the business was 91裸聊视频渢he tipping point.91裸聊视频�

91裸聊视频淚 think we would have hung in there for a little while longer if those issues hadn91裸聊视频檛 become so difficult in the last little while,91裸聊视频� Screech said.

91裸聊视频淥ne of the most frightening (things) is that we91裸聊视频檝e had in the last 18 months fires set at our back door four or five times. And it91裸聊视频檚 only just by some divine intervention that the whole building hasn91裸聊视频檛 gone up.91裸聊视频�

Business groups and others have raised concerns about crime and disorder ahead of the Oct. 19 provincial election, while police, including Vancouver Chief Const. Adam Palmer, have decried what he called a 91裸聊视频渞evolving door91裸聊视频� justice system for repeat and violent offenders.

The conversation has been punctuated by a series of violent events over the past year or so in B.C.

They include a triple stabbing at a street festival in Vancouver91裸聊视频檚 Chinatown, a swarming attack on paramedics in Victoria, and stabbings near the White Rock pier. On Sept. 4, one man was killed and another91裸聊视频檚 hand was cut off in a pair of gruesome attacks in downtown Vancouver 91裸聊视频� police say the suspect was on probation at the time and has had 60 previous interactions with officers.

How to improve public safety was one of 10 questions posed by a coalition of B.C. business groups to party leaders on Sept. 10, saying the violent crime rate had increased 91裸聊视频渂y 30 per cent since 201891裸聊视频� with many businesses reporting higher levels of concern around employee and customer safety.

91裸聊视频淟ast week91裸聊视频檚 tragic situation highlighted where we are at and the need for all levels of government to come together,91裸聊视频� said Greater Vancouver Board of Trade president Bridgitte Anderson, referring to the Sept. 4 attacks at a news conference announcing the group91裸聊视频檚 concerns.

91裸聊视频淪imply, what we91裸聊视频檙e doing right now doesn91裸聊视频檛 work,91裸聊视频� Anderson said.

Statistics Canada data show the overall per capita crime rate, based on police reports, is down in B.C. by about 3 per cent since 2018. The violent crime rate cited by business leaders is up by more than 32 per cent, having spiked sharply in 2019 and it has been mostly unchanged since then.

Vancouver and Victoria have both seen a 9 per cent rise in violent crime, per capita, since 2018.

Martin Andresen, professor at Simon Fraser University91裸聊视频檚 School of Criminology, said while many people 91裸聊视频� himself included 91裸聊视频� are seeing evidence of 91裸聊视频渋n-your-face91裸聊视频� public disorder, official statistics do not back up claims that crime and public disorder are worsening overall.

He noted that while there have been a number of high-profile crimes in B.C. in the past year, people should consider how these incidents are portrayed in the media and public discourse, and also look at hard numbers.

91裸聊视频淚 see it myself when I walk down the street,91裸聊视频� Andresen said. 91裸聊视频淭here are a lot more people out. 91裸聊视频� We seem to have a lot of people who are desperate, and there91裸聊视频檚 more panhandling everywhere I go. Violence appears to be, at least, a lot more in-your-face.

91裸聊视频淚t91裸聊视频檚 not out of control,91裸聊视频� he said. 91裸聊视频淐an it go down? Of course it can. We91裸聊视频檙e still having these events, and they are negative events.91裸聊视频�

Andresen said the Statistics Canada data shows most crimes in B.C. cities are down.

Notable categories where crime rates are up include uttering threats, property crimes, such as theft under $5,000, shoplifting, and mischief. But Andresen said rates of most other crime were 91裸聊视频渄own or relatively steady.91裸聊视频�

91裸聊视频淏ased on the data, in some cases, yes, there are things on the increase,91裸聊视频� he said. 91裸聊视频淎lso, maybe just the nature of some of these crimes have become more in-our-face than ever before.91裸聊视频�

Downtown Victoria Business Association CEO Jeff Bray said he had heard the argument that statistics do not back up claims of rising crime and disorder in B.C., but that didn91裸聊视频檛 not mean it wasn91裸聊视频檛 happening.

91裸聊视频淧art of it is businesses just don91裸聊视频檛 bother reporting,91裸聊视频� said Bray, a former BC Liberal MLA who91裸聊视频檚 also president of the Business Improvement Areas of B.C.

Bray said he has heard from downtown businesses across B.C. that disorder was increasing in many communities outside the major centres of Vancouver and Victoria.

91裸聊视频淎s a society, we91裸聊视频檝e kind of accepted some behaviours now that we would never have accepted 10 years ago,91裸聊视频� Bray said. 91裸聊视频淎s a result, we91裸聊视频檙e seeing behaviours get more aggressive, we91裸聊视频檙e seeing people become more brazen, and we91裸聊视频檙e seeing less of a response to these things.91裸聊视频�

A recent survey conducted his group showed that 82 per cent of the roughly 500 business owners and operators asked 91裸聊视频渉ave increased fear and anxiety91裸聊视频� due to crime and disorder in their neighbourhoods.

Both Bray and Screech said the situation around B.C.91裸聊视频檚 downtowns has deteriorated so severely that there was pressure for drastic steps.

91裸聊视频淭here are people in our community who are incapable of functioning without being a harm to themselves or others,91裸聊视频� Bray said. 91裸聊视频淎nd so, involuntary care has to be, I think, part of the policy mix.

91裸聊视频淲e have people now with permanent brain injuries as a result of the toxic drug supply, 91裸聊视频� and all we91裸聊视频檙e offering right now is low-barrier supportive housing 91裸聊视频� where they continue to be able to use drugs, to be exploited by the criminal element. These things are not working.91裸聊视频�

Before the election began, BC NDP Leader David Eby pledged his government would open facilities to provide involuntary care, specifically for those suffering from a combination of severe addictions, mental illness and brain injuries.

Crime and public safety have also been one of the B.C. Conservatives talking points, promising to increase funding to police, applying 91裸聊视频渮ero tolerance91裸聊视频� for violent repeat offenders and appointing judges that prioritize victims91裸聊视频� rights.

Andresen said such tough measures or boosting police resources are unlikely to yield results.

He said solutions need to be based on the opinions of health experts. Housing and support programs are the first key steps, Andresen said.

91裸聊视频淟ocking up people for longer isn91裸聊视频檛 going to solve the problem,91裸聊视频� he said. 91裸聊视频淲hat91裸聊视频檚 being described in a lot of these policies is criminalizing poverty, criminalizing marginalized populations. And that91裸聊视频檚 not the solution to our problem.91裸聊视频�

Screech disagreed.

91裸聊视频淚 think it91裸聊视频檚 a bipartisan issue, and I think what we91裸聊视频檝e done in trying to be a caring, empathetic society and government, we91裸聊视频檝e crossed the line 91裸聊视频� into facilitating a lifestyle. And I think all the parties have to look at that with a clear lens,91裸聊视频� he said.

91裸聊视频淲e want to offer treatment and we want to help people, but we don91裸聊视频檛 want to facilitate a lifestyle that nobody is prepared to change.91裸聊视频�