Enforcement and Compassion: Combatting the Violence of the Opioid Crisis
Like many communities across BC, Surrey is coping with the impacts of the opioid crisis. Year over year, there have been increases in the number of drug toxicity deaths, and increased violence associated to the illicit drug trade.
The demand for illicit drugs across the Lower Mainland has kept the illegal drug trade profitable for gang members, drug traffickers and other criminals who take advantage of the ongoing addictions crisis. The competition and fight for control of territory and profits at every level, from street trade, to trafficking networks is volatile. This volatility all too often erupts into shootings, stabbings, and violence that places the public at risk.
With the complexity of a public safety issue involving violent criminal activity and a public health crisis, the Surrey RCMP have engaged in a multi-pronged cooperative approach. Law enforcement and education, coupled with health care and social services, have been helping Surrey RCMP to tackle violent crime and bring down the overall crime rate in Surrey. In 2021, violent crime in Surrey reduced by 6% and property crime dropped by 7%.
The violent nature of the drug trade, and in particular the Lower Mainland Gang Conflict, punctuate the need for strong law enforcement by units like the Surrey Gang Enforcement Team. Made up of gang specialists, their mandate is to disrupt criminal activity through targeted enforcement and to provide education to youth as part of gang prevention strategies, delivered in partnership with the Surrey School District.
Equally as important as tough enforcement, the Surrey RCMP is engaged in proactive outreach. Units like the Surrey RCMP Police and Mental Health Outreach Team are working closely with Fraser Health, BC Housing, Surrey Bylaw Enforcement, and community service providers. Their goal is not to target drug users with enforcement, but to direct them to health and social services in the community.
It is a shift from the paradigm of the ‘war on drugs', that often targets drug users for enforcement, towards a more holistic approach. Finding ways to help community members recover from their addictions by providing resources to reduce the demand for drugs. Being compassionate towards those with addictions, while aggressively targeting those who perpetuate violence and seek to profit on the suffering of others in our community is the model of our approach.