Police in Abbotsford, B.C., create extortion task force in addition to RCMP team

ABBOTSFORD — Police in Abbotsford, B.C., say they are launching their own task force to target local extortion cases, a week after the announcement of a provincial team to investigate crimes that have been focused on the South Asian community.

The Abbotsford department says its task force will bring in full- and part-time members from other areas, and the team will disrupt and investigate extortion cases in that city.

Last week, Mounties and the B.C. government announced a provincial extortion task force, which involves 40 members from enforcement agencies across the province.

Abbotsford police say two of its officers are serving on the provincial task force.