“Our city cannot, and will not, endure it any longer”
THE City of Surrey is calling on the federal and provincial governments to temporarily deploy 150 officers from the RCMP and Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit (CFSEU) to tackle the ongoing shootings and extortions targeting residents and business owners.
“We are living it every single day – the fear, the intimidation, the violence,” said Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke on Friday. “Families and business owners have had their lives and livelihoods deeply affected. It is gut-wrenching to see our community impacted so profoundly. Our city cannot, and will not, endure it any longer.”
On Thursday, Locke travelled to Victoria to meet with Public Safety Minister and Solicitor General Nina Krieger to discuss Surrey’s public safety crisis and urge immediate action.
“The provincial government is responsible for adequate and effective policing in B.C.,” Locke said. “The scope and scale of this challenge require leaders in the federal and provincial governments to take action and help end the violence that no Canadian city should have to endure.”
In letters dated October 29, Locke asked Krieger and federal Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree to make the wave of shootings and extortions in Surrey a top law enforcement priority. She requested the deployment of 150 combined officers, particularly those specializing in organized crime, financial crime, and firearms interdiction, to lead a coordinated police response until the violence is brought under control.
Locke also urged the justice and immigration ministries to strengthen organized crime provisions in the Criminal Code so law enforcement can better respond to nimble and sophisticated criminal networks.
“We need the provincial and federal governments to work with us as full partners to restore safety to our community and end this cycle of violence before another resident is injured or someone is killed,” Locke added. “We will not stop pushing until the extortion and shootings have stopped and every person in Surrey can feel safe again.”
The City of Surrey noted it has acted decisively to strengthen community safety. Recent actions include launching a $250,000 reward fund for information leading to convictions, creating a Public Safety Department to unify city-wide safety efforts, and adding staffing hours to provide immediate, 24/7 response to law enforcement requests for recordings from more than 600 traffic cameras, with improved resolution in target areas.
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