Surrey First Councillor and candidate for mayor Linda Annis says declaring a state of emergency needs immediate action if it is going to be more than just words on paper.
“City council’s unanimous support for declaring a state of emergency in our city was the right thing to do, but we need immediate action if we’re going to breathe life into that declaration,” explained Annis. “Public safety has to be job one for all of us on council, and that also goes for Ottawa and Victoria. We cannot solve the extortion issue or the related shootings without the federal and provincial governments working alongside us. No city in the country can do it on their own.”
Annis said it doesn’t matter where she goes in the city; public safety is part of every conversation.
“If we do not have a safe city, absolutely nothing else matters,” said Annis. “All of us want this nightmare to end, and that means all of us in Surrey have a role to play, not just our police officers. The SPS and RCMP have made the extortions and the shootings their priority, but they cannot be everywhere. Without all of us stepping up and being their extra eyes and ears, this is a tough fight to win.”
Annis said she has been a councillor for more than seven years, and the extortion threats, violence, and intimidation rival any of the gang war shootings.
“Public safety determines how we live our lives, how we operate our businesses, and it defines our community,” noted Annis. “Extortionists, shooters, gangs, and drug dealers need to know we are serious and that we will do whatever it takes to protect our people and our streets.”
Annis said Chief Norm Lipinski’s “visible presence” approach makes good sense on every front.
“Criminals need to see a major police presence on our streets, and Surrey residents need to know we have pulled out all the stops and given the SPS the additional officers, tools, and resources they need,” said Annis. “If this is a state of emergency, then we need to back that up by giving the men and women of the SPS and RCMP every advantage over the extortionists, shooters and gangsters. Anything less is unacceptable.”
Annis said she and her Surrey first team wants to see a combination of immediate and long-term action items in the fight against the extortion crisis, including:
- Allowing police to lay charges, something that happens in most of the country, but not in B.C., where Crown Counsel lay charges.
- Providing police with real-time access to the city’s 600-plus traffic cameras and adding 600 more police-specific cameras.
- Roadside checks that blanket high-risk areas, particularly overnight, are made possible with more officers.
- Immediate helicopter access, and longer term, a dedicated SPS helicopter.
- Deeper screening by Ottawa of foreign students, temporary workers, and anyone applying for an extended visa to Canada.
- Immediate deportation of any non-Canadian involved in extortion, related shootings or gangs, with no opportunity to hide behind a claim for refugee status.
- Hiring 300 additional Surrey police officers over four years.
- Building a police training center in Surrey to speed up recruitment and training.
“In most provinces across our country, the police lay charges, but not here in B.C.,” said Annis. “Giving police that authority will mean more arrests and charges, but it also means we need a dedicated team of Crown Counsel to get those cases to court.”
Annis said Ottawa also needs to do more to screen anyone applying for a visa.
“Coming to Canada is a privilege, not a right,” said Annis. “We need better and deeper screening; we need to know who’s entering our country. Unfortunately, too many people mistake our politeness and hospitality for weakness and think nothing of ignoring our laws and visa restrictions. We have to show them we’re serious.”
Annis has already called for 300 more SPS officers over four years.
“While Vancouver has 1400 officers, we have just over 800, even though our populations are about the same, and our city is almost three times the size of Vancouver,” explained Annis. “We need to grow our police department to meet the size and population of our city, and that includes having a police training center here in Surrey to speed up recruitment and training. These are areas where the province has to step up because policing is a provincial responsibility.”
Annis said she also supports immediate helicopter access for the SPS and, in the longer term, wants the SPS to have its own helicopter.
“Surrey is big. We’re as big as Vancouver, Burnaby, and Richmond combined, so I think the SPS can make a strong case for its own helicopter and the speed and coverage it provides,” added Annis.
Annis said her team believes fighting back against the extortionists, shooters and gang gun violence requires the city, Province and federal government to work together.
“Every Surrey MP and MLA needs to know what our city wants and needs and must be prepared to do their part,” she said. “They have to stand up for the people who elected them and sent them to Ottawa and Victoria. This is not something Surrey can do on its own. These are national and provincial issues, but like every other Surrey resident, I want to see less talk and more action. For instance, if we’re going to have a national commissioner on this issue, that person needs to be able to make decisions quickly and have access to the people, tools and resources to do what needs to be done.
“Without that call to action, a state of emergency means nothing to the people who are being targeted. The fact is, crime only stops when the risks are greater than the rewards. As a result, we need a concerted and coordinated effort, and that means having the federal and provincial governments on speed dial and keeping the pressure on until these extortion crimes end and our city is safer.”
