Government Loss Reporting

Last updated on January 22, 2024

Centralized reporting provides a true understanding of what numbers and types of losses or incidents are being encountered in the public sector.

The Government Security Office is the central agency responsible for the management and coordination of loss prevention for the B.C. government.

General Incidents or Losses

Loss reporting related to "Workers' Compensation" or "Fleet Vehicles" normally falls outside this format. If, however, a loss arises from a crime or threat related incident (e.g. assault, robbery, vandalism or theft), then reporting is appropriate as part of a follow-up security review.

Over time, several overlapping variables have impacted reporting. For example:

  • The number of ministries across government has been subject to change
  • Some program areas have been realigned between ministries
  • Policy has been revised to provide greater clarity and consistency for reporting
  • A web-based tool was implemented to standardize and facilitate reporting
  • There is additional emphasis now on the need to report some incident types, such as privacy breaches, threats of violence, or fraud

Annual Loss Summary Reports

In addition to General Incidents or Losses, some ministries are tasked to report losses associated with their program areas. Due to the nature of certain programs, some ministries experience recurring losses from general incidents and/or illegal activities. These ministries often have internal resources dedicated to managing the losses. Examples of such loss incidents include:

  • Suspected false or fraudulent claims for social benefits, loans, grants, or transfers including employment and income assistance, student loans and MSP
  • Overpayments or erroneous payments
  • Loss of revenue that should have been received or collected
  • Theft of Crown property or damage to Crown property

These ministries, that have internal resources dedicated to managing losses, must report their loss incidents to the Government Security Office by June 30th of each year for the preceding fiscal year in a Annual Loss Summary Report. Annual Loss Summary Reports for programs are not included within the graphical statistics of General Incidents or Losses.

Contact information

The Government Security Office is resident in the Risk Management Branch.

Email:

GovernmentSecurityOffice@gov.bc.ca