Anyone in Alberta wearing bulletproof vests, who is not a police officer or ambulance attendant, will have them seized by police under a new proposed law.

"We know that the business of gangs revolves around making money and eliminating rivals. Body armour is one of the important tools of the trade," said Justice Minister Alison Redford on Tuesday.

"By taking away the gang members' sense of invulnerability, we hope to decrease the potential for violence in public places."

'We want to expand the range of victims who can be compensated for sustaining harm due to crime.'—Alison Redford, Alberta justice minister

The proposed law is part of a new slate of bills aimed at reducing gang-related crime and introduced in the Alberta legislature Tuesday.

The province wants to make it harder for gangs to operate, and to compensate and protect more of the people and institutions affected by crime, explained Redford.

"We know that they're feeling the impact. They're telling police that their business is suffering."

The legislation comes in the form of three bills, one of which would broaden the scope of the province's Victims Restitution and Compensation Payment Act.

"We want to expand the range of victims who can be compensated for sustaining harm due to crime," said Redford, using the example of a fire caused by a grow-op in Calgary that destroyed five homes. The fire and rescue bills were paid by the municipality.

Bill 10 would also allow more types of property to be seized when crimes are committed, create more grants for social agencies that work to prevent crime, such as at-risk youth programs, and better compensate people whose property is ordered returned.

Bill 11, the Witness Security Act, would create a provincial complement to the federal witness protection program for people worried for their safety if they testify in court.

The federal program provides long-term protection, while the provincial version would be short-term, Redford said.