Surrey will add 95 new RCMP officers over the next five years plus additional community patrol members to help improve safety in the city.
Last year, Surrey recorded a record 25 homicides.
The death of 53-year-old Julie Paskall shocked the community after she was beaten to death last December outside a hockey arena in Newton.
Surrey Mayor Dianne Watts had convened a task force a month earlier to crack down on criminals in the area.
Now the task force has endorsed adding 95 new RCMP officers along with 20 community safety patrol members. 10 of those safety patrol members will start immediately in the Newton Town Centre area.
“This pledge to increase the number of RCMP officers in Surrey is a continuation of the work we started in October of 2013 to disrupt criminal activity in our city. The additional officers have been realized through efficiencies within the RCMP as a result of the review process,” says Mayor Watts. “Public safety remains my top priority and the actions we have taken today show that council and I will continue our policy to confront and disrupt criminal activity in Surrey.”
Surrey will also start reporting crime stats on a monthly basis instead of quarterly.
During the first 90 days of the task force, 250 arrests have been made with 85 charges recommended. Drugs and weapons, along with $100,000 in cash was seized.
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