Surrey announces wide-ranging public safety strategy
The City of Surrey has unveiled a new public-safety strategy meant to address issues from crime reduction to disaster preparedness to homelessness.
Few details are available about the cost of the plan — which will enhance or continue 24 existing programs and introduce a handful of new initiatives — but the mayor says it won’t immediately affect the city’s bottom line. “We’re confident that we can do this strategy within existing means and within the opportunities for funding from other levels of government,” Mayor Linda Hepner said Monday.
The city began developing the strategy in January, about a month after the hiring of director of public safety strategies Terry Waterhouse. The process involved meeting with agencies and the public, and running online surveys. More than 1,600 people were consulted.
The strategy focuses on four priority areas: building community capacity, ensuring safe places, preventing and reducing crime, and supporting vulnerable people. Ten initiatives were announced as part of the strategy and those programs fit into each of those priority areas.
A Community Safety Centre, a new education facility aimed at bringing safety messages to kids from kindergarten to Grade 8.
A community-wide Cyber Security Outreach Program that provides access to education and information resources.
Girls Got Game, a program focused on improving the health and well-being of immigrant and refugee girls aged nine to 13.
Clayton Heights Activity Team, a weekly support program for atrisk youth.
The Distressed Properties Response Program, which develops recommendations to address distressed properties.
Project IRIS, a voluntary registration program for members of the public and businesses that have surveillance cameras.
Data-Driven Approaches to Crime and Traffic Safety is a new way to deploy law enforcement and other resources more effectively.
The Safe Mobility Plan guides efforts to make the roads safer.
The Community Services Web Portal provides resources, information and links to services that support vulnerable populations.
The Integrated Services Network is a partnership between justice, social-service and health agencies working to reduce recidivism of chronic offenders.
Although Surrey introduced a Crime Reduction Strategy seven years ago, Waterhouse said this one is different because of its focus on service integration, data use and technology. There are also ways to measure and monitor progress, including an online City Dashboard that will allow data to be easily published for all to see.
The city, which already spends 61 per cent of its budget, or $195 million, on public safety, expects to move ahead with the strategy with no effect on the budget.
Asked if B.C. would contribute to the program, Mike Morris, Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General, said: “We’re always in discussions on how we can collaborate and make all of the communities of B.C. safer, so no different with Surrey.”
We’re confident that we can do this strategy within existing means and within the opportunities for funding from other levels of government.