Surrey RCMP talks violence with community; City Hall a no-show
Posted November 14, 2018 9:40 pm.
Last Updated November 15, 2018 5:08 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
SURREY (NEWS 1130) — Surrey Mounties are reaching out to the community to quash concerns about safety in the wake of last week’s deadly shooting in Newton.
The Surrey RCMP hosted a community engagement event this afternoon at George Vanier Elementary and some neighbours who showed up wondered why city councillors didn’t make an appearance. The event was a Q&A session at the school just around the block from where a man was fatally shot last Friday.
“This is the first big incident that happens here,” says Eddie, a local who attended the community outreach event, wondering about the whereabouts of newly elected Mayor Doug McCallum and his Surrey Safe Coalition, though it is not common for city politicians to attend these events, according to the RCMP.
During the municipal election campaign in October, McCallum argued that violence in Surrey can be better managed with a municipal police force. After the election, Surrey’s council voted unanimously in favor of establishing a municipal police force.
“I don’t need a political platform here, I need people here that we elected here to say, ‘hey, we’re protecting you, we’re listening to your concerns,” Eddie adds.
He feels a lot of red tape is in the way of addressing his concerns, but he supports a municipal police force might help because it might hold officers more accountable and give locals better access to police.
“It will allow concerned members of the community to get involved, to have more say, to identify a little bit better as to what are some of teh issues out here.”
— with files from Lasia Kretzel
