A message from the Officer in Charge - September 2017

I follow the RCMP on twitter and subscribe to their press releases.  I just received this and thought I would share it.  They are working very hard to resolve this problem! A Message from the Officer in Charge – September 2017 I hope you have had a great summer. It has been a busy season for your Surrey RCMP with a number of our members contributing to the BC wildfire efforts and our continuing focus on the regional drug trade. I recently visited some of the areas of our province that have been affected by this year’s unprecedented fires. It is certainly something to see in person – the widespread damage to homes, towns, and nature is astounding. However, I was heartened to see the areas that had been saved by the hardworking firefighters and support crews. It is a massive effort and one that has seen the whole province come together to help those who have been displaced and those who have lost so much. Here at home, our second quarter stats showed a year-to-date decrease in both violent crime (-15%) and property crime (-10%). Our primary areas of enforcement have been on prolific offenders and on those involved in the drug trade. This enforcement is intelligence-led with our crime analysts providing important data on the individuals, habits, and locations related to crime. Much of this intelligence is generated from the calls we receive from the public – thank you for your efforts in reporting crime and suspicious activity. I know many of you keep a close eye on crime in your neighbourhoods and, as a result, we recently expanded our Crime Stats E-Newsletter to include monthly crime maps which show auto theft, break and enters, and robberies for each district. You can subscribe at https://surrey.ca/city-government/23586.aspx. We continue to be very concerned about the shots fired incidents, which included a homicide earlier this week. We are often asked why we can’t do anything if we know who is involved in this drug-related violence. I can assure you, we are. As the investigations into these files continue, we are using all legal authorities we have to arrest them, breach them when they defy court ordered conditions, seize offence related property, execute search warrants, and more. On a broader scale, we are attacking the drug trade itself as we know it is the root of this violence. Just last week we announced the conclusion of a six month drug trafficking investigation that resulted in five people being charged with 48 charges and the seizure of thousands of doses of cocaine, heroin and fentanyl. This issue is playing out across the Lower Mainland, however, as a city with a large youth population, Surrey is a target for those looking to lure young people into the drug trade. The Surrey RCMP’s long-term strategy in addressing the issue of youth criminality is to promote positive choices for kids at a young age and provide accessible support and guidance to parents. Police play an integral role here, but not the only role. Parents, relatives, schools, government, and community groups and organizations all have a role to play in supporting our youth and providing positive role models. We continue to expand our youth programs, initiatives, and engagement efforts. Over the last year, we have started focusing on younger age groups, realizing that kids need to positively engage with police before they reach secondary school. We launched the Mini-Blue Program this year, which is an elementary school version of our Code Blue after school fitness program, and we offer a “Hi-5” program where our School Resource Officers visit elementary schools and simply give out high fives and engage with the kids on the playground. We are also expanding our participation with Big Brothers’ In School Mentoring Program and getting involved in a number of other youth-focussed programs this coming school year. In addition to our prevention and education initiatives, we have a number of intervention strategies that include our Parent Helpline (604-599-7800), Wrap gang prevention program, Youth Intervention Program, and Restorative Justice Program. You can learn more about our youth programs on our website. As we move into 2018, we will be developing our new five year strategic plan. In the spring, over 1,500 people completed an online survey to provide their input on what our policing priorities should be moving forward. In the coming months we will have more opportunities for residents and business owners to share their ideas so we can build a policing strategy that addresses the safety concerns of our community. The Surrey RCMP continues to play a key role in supporting the City of Surrey’s Public Safety Strategy through the development and enhancement of a number of initiatives and programs relating to law enforcement. I am pleased to see the progress that is being made by all partners. Enjoy the fall and thank you for your continuing commitment to public safety. Sincerely, Assistant Commissioner Dwayne McDonald Officer in Charge, Surrey RCMP