RCMP get help in fight against gunplay

More officers, traffic camera access to aid force amid rash of shootings

You expect us to stop violence. You should have those expectations of us. I have those expectations of us. BILL FORDY, Surrey RCMP

Surrey will get 75 new street cameras and policing resources from around the Lower Mainland to combat rampant gun violence that’s resulted in 32 shootings so far this year.

Surrey RCMP will also be able to access another 330 traffic cameras 24 hours a day in the immediate aftermath of a shooting, Mayor Linda Hepner announced Friday.

She said the after-hours access to the traffic cameras will aid investigators in identifying suspects in the shootings.

“I, like all of you who live here in Surrey, am deeply concerned and offended by the reckless and dangerous acts that are being played out on our streets,” Hepner said.

She pledged to Surrey voters fearful of the gunplay that the young drug dealers involved “will be caught.”

“The resources that are being deployed are significant and substantial,” she said.

Hepner, B.C. Public Safety Minister Mike Morris and senior RCMP officers called a news conference to address public concerns over the violence.

Four shootings took place in the last week alone in Surrey.

Surrey RCMP Asst. Commissioner Bill Fordy said his officers have cracked down on those believed to be involved, resulting in five arrests just this week and the seizure of 13 firearms.

Facing a series of charges are Alex Blanarou, Antonio Dennison, Rajinder Johal and Marcel Duke.

The name of the fifth suspect won’t be released until charges are approved, but Fordy said he was witnessed by police leaving a residence, then firing “a shot into the sky and toward a street light.”

He was later pulled over and “found to be carrying a CO2 replica handgun, crack cocaine and approximately $7,500.

“A search warrant was executed at the residence and 10 firearms were seized and 1,250 rounds of ammunition,” Fordy said.

Fordy said he is “angry that we are standing here talking about the same type of senseless violence that we were discussing at this time last year.”

“I want to assure you that I understand your expectation of me and of this police force. You expect us to stop violence. You should have those expectations of us. I have those expectations of us,” he said.

“I also want to assure you that we are making progress. The difficult thing is that you can’t always see our progress and it can take time.”

He said the drug trade and violence associated with it are regional problems, though Sur- rey has seen the most recent gun violence. Johal, who was arrested in Surrey Thursday and is facing firearms and other charges, “is associated to a shooting that recently took place in Richmond,” he said.

Specialized policing services from around the region will be reallocated to Surrey to deal with the increased shootings, said Asst. Commissioner Dan Malo, the RCMP’s Lower Mainland district commander.

That includes more officers from the anti-gang Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit, additional major crime investigators, intelligence analysts, air support and even extra dog teams, Malo said.

He said he wants those involved to feel the extra eyes on them so they know “that life has changed for them in the City of Surrey.”

“You’ll receive attention like you’ve never received before,” Malo said.

He stressed again that those involved are not “high-level organized crime” but “kids” battling for control of the street-level drug trade.

Morris, a former Mountie, also spoke at the news conference. He said he had full confidence in the RCMP’s strategies to end the violence. But he also said “this is not just a police problem. It’s a community problem.”

NDP public safety critic Mike Farnworth, who attended the Surrey news conference along with other opposition MLAs, said he was disappointed with what he heard.

“There are no new resources. They are using existing resources. I was expecting something from the province,” said Farnworth, MLA for Port Coquitlam.

As for the increased access to traffic cameras by police, Farnworth said: “Why has it taken till now and why hasn’t the province always ensured that was the case?”