SURREY - The City of Surrey has endorsed a plan to hire 95 RCMP officers over the next five years.
The 95 includes 60 already on the books in Surrey's budget for the next five years.Council endorsed the proposal during a police committee meeting last Wednesday.Mayor Dianne Watts said the "pledge" arose out of recommendations from the task force she launched last October to "disrupt criminal activity" in Surrey."The additional officers have been realized through efficiencies within the RCMP as a result of the review process," Watts said.Moreover, the Community Safety Officer program will change to create a new Community Constable program that will give the officers the power to arrest, and carry guns.Effective immediately, 10 community safety patrol staff will bedeployed in Newton's town centre, with uniformed foot patrols staffed by BC Commissionaires. Another 10 will be considered for 2015.The city will also begin reporting its crime statistics on a monthly rather than a quarterly basis.During the first 90 days of Watts' task force, there have been 250 arrests with 86 charges recommended, and $100,668 in Canadian currency seized from crime suspects.The uniformed gang enforcement unit alone made 38 arrests with 11 charges recommended, seized seven weapons, did 159 street checks and 182 vehicle stops.tzytaruk@thenownewspaper.com