Police in Abbotsford launch task force in response to extortion cases

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The Abbotsford Police Department (APD) has launched a task force in response to almost 40 extortion-related incidents the city has had in the last two years.

The task force will operate under the name Operation Community Shield and will focus on "disrupting and investigating extortion events" in the city, said Sgt. Paul Walker, media officer with the APD.

He said Operation Community Shield will be composed of experienced officers being reassigned both full- and part-time from several areas of the APD.

Walker said the department received 38 reports of extortion-related incidents between November 2023 and September 2025. Two of the incidents – both in November 2023 – involved violence, he said.

"The vast majority of reported extortion cases have involve