The B.C. government is partnering with Crime Stoppers on an awareness campaign to encourage members of the South Asian community who have been targeted by extortion to come forward. 

“If you are a victim of extortion, the most important thing you can do is report it,” said Public Safety Minister Gary Begg at an event in Surrey on Thursday. 

He said the province is giving Crime Stoppers $100,000 to run the 60-day campaign, which will be available in English and Punjabi, and include advertisements on radio, podcasts, Spotify, social media and television. 

The RCMP last year announced a nationally co-ordinated team to investigate reports of extortion and threats targeting South Asian communities in multiple provinces. Police said individuals or businesses are being contacted with demands for money and threatened with violence if they refused to pay.  

Chief Constable Norm Lipinski said Surrey Police are investigating a dozen cases of extortion reported since the beginning of this year and has implemented a dedicated team working full-time on the files, working with victims to create a safety plan for victims and their families. 

Begg acknowledged there’s a fear in the South Asian community that they could be further targeted or retaliated against after reporting crimes to police. He noted that Crime Stoppers allows people to report crimes anonymously.

“Trust in police is important, police can only work with the co-operation of citizens,” said Begg.

A web page for the campaign on the B.C. Crime Stoppers campaign warns that paying once doesn’t stop demands, and adds some businesses have lost millions to extortionists.

Premier David Eby announced last week he would ask the federal government to declare the India-based Lawrence Bishnoi gang as a terrorist organization. Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke and Brampton, Ontario, mayor Patrick Brown have since joined that call.

“I continue to receive calls from residents who are too frightened to go to police,” said Locke in a statement. “We must ask ourselves why they are scared. Fear should never silence victims or witnesses.”

The designation of the gang as a terrorist organization would give police more leeway to investigate the gang, including freezing its assets in Canada.