EVEN as Surrey Police Service reported yet another extortion-related shooting on Thursday morning, Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke said in a statement: “As Mayor, I remain deeply concerned about the ongoing extortions and gang-related violence occurring in our city.”

Locke noted: “For more than a year, extortions and more recent gang-related violence have impacted far too many in our community. Everyone deserves to feel safe in their neighbourhoods, and residents want to know that these crimes are being addressed quickly and forcefully.”

She said: “The City is doing everything within our authority to help bring an end to this wave of violence. We have increased the policing budget by $100 million since 2021, urgently requested 150 additional officers from the provincial and federal governments, created a $250,000 reward fund for information, upgraded over 600 traffic cameras and facilitated immediate access for the Surrey Police Service, and established a Public Safety Department to unify city-wide safety efforts.”

Locke added: “Right now, people are scared and looking for answers about how they can feel safe in their communities again. I will be meeting with Solicitor General Nina Krieger to work collaboratively on additional, concrete measures to further support both the SPS and the RCMP. Our focus will be on identifying meaningful, effective actions that can be implemented quickly to restore public safety.”

The mayor said: “Our community will not accept continued acts of violent crime. I am determined to pursue every available option and collaborate with our provincial partners to ensure that residents feel safe in their homes, neighbourhoods, and businesses. I will continue to push for additional resources, solutions and sustained action until this violence is brought to an end.”