‘This is not a Surrey issue’: RCMP, Mayor speak on recent gun violence

VANCOUVER – Surrey’s Mayor and RCMP are appealing for help to try and stop the growing gun violence in the city.

On Sunday someone opened fire at 126 Street and 88 Avenue killing a man, who has been identified as 22-year-old Arun Paul Singh Bains. This is the 22nd shooting in Surrey and Delta since early March.

Police have determined that 14 of the 22 shootings are related to a South Asian group and Somalian group involved in low-level drug trafficking. The victims and intended victims of the shootings have been uncooperative with police, which has significantly impacted the ability of police to make arrests.

People who live in the area say they no longer feel safe.

“Citizens have the right to live, play and work in our communities without fear and concern”, says Assistant Commissioner Dan Malo, RCMP Lower Mainland District, adding that lessons were learned from the gun violence that broke out in 2007 and 2008.

But he says this is not a “Surrey issue” and it’s not a police issue, it’s a community issue.

“Law enforcement agencies in the Lower Mainland and the municipalities of Surrey and Delta are united in addressing the now fatal conflict between two lower-level drug trafficking groups whose turf war has erupted on our streets,” says Malo. “The issue is certainly not about lack of police resources or level of integration between agencies. This is about the continued lack of information being shared by those criminals involved in this violence.”

Surrey Mayor Linda Hepner says this gun violence has to end. “This has to stop before any more lives are lost,” she says.

“The police are doing all that they can, but they need information. The code of silence we have seen so far will only result in more heartache for the loved ones that are left behind. That is why I am imploring that anyone who has any information to come forward, do the right thing, and contact police.”

A tip line has been set up to gather information about the shootings that have occurred in Surrey and Delta over the past six weeks. The tip line is 604-915-6566 and will be monitored 24/7.

Surrey RCMP, City of Surrey, Surrey School District, and CFSEU-BC will host a Community Forum Tuesday evening (April 21) at Tamanawis Secondary School at 7 p.m. The forum will provide parents, students and area residents with information regarding the recent shootings in the area and the issues that are contributing to this type of violence.