Surrey mayor blasts ‘code of silence’ at forum on shootings
SURREY: Standing-room only crowd as mayor, RCMP discuss escalating tensions
It was standing-room only in a Surrey gym Tuesday for a forum held in response to escalating gun violence in the city that took a man’s life over the weekend.
The forum at Tamanawis Secondary School, hosted by the City of Surrey, the Surrey School District and multiple police agencies, saw hundreds of concerned parents, students, teachers, police, politicians and community leaders pack the gym.
Surrey and Delta have recorded 22 shootings since the beginning of March, 14 of which involved South Asian and Somali groups involved in low-level drug trafficking, police have said.
Surrey Mayor Linda Hepner opened the forum.
“No one in our community should feel unsafe,” Hepner said, calling the shootings unacceptable.
Police have worked “around the clock” to make arrests, the mayor said, but those involved have refused to co-operate, “and that is putting it mildly,” she added.
“The code of silence we have seen so far will only result in more heartache.”
Hepner referred to early Sunday when the turf war became fatal with the shooting death of 22-year-old Arun Bains.
“It pains me that a life has been lost amid this senseless violence and it has to stop — it has to stop before another life is lost,” she said.
The mayor said the violence has become a top priority with all policing agencies, and she has been speaking daily with them.
“The root cause of these shootings is drug use and drug trafficking,” said Chief Supt. Bill Fordy of the Surrey RCMP.
“Our youth are the people they will target to advance their criminal enterprise,” he said, referring to the 90,000 students in Surrey — the largest school district in B.C.
However, Fordy said police have received a number of tips that have helped investigations, but more were needed.
Police have had some success following meetings with the shooting victims’ and intended victims’ families and friends.
“It is important for me to say and for you to know that the actions of those persons that have engaged in this criminal behaviour do not reflect this community in its entirety,” he said to applause.
“In terms of the shootings, you should be concerned, you should be troubled — but not fearful.”
Sgt. Lindsey Houghton of the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit asked the audience to read through a pamphlet handed out at the event containing information about drug-crime warning signs, such as youth possessing multiple cellphones and an abundance of cash, using records or store sheets and demanding privacy, and not letting family members into their room.
On Monday, RCMP and the City of Surrey announced the launch of a dedicated 24-hour tip line for gathering information about the shootings at 604-915-6566.