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Surrey RCMP's bike squad arrests 13 so far

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SURREY - The six officers of the Surrey RCMP's revitalized bike squad already have 13 arrests under their belts since they began patrolling the city's streets and parks three weeks ago.

The squad has so far done roughly 140 street checks. The arrests have been for drug-related as well as other crimes, with seven charges going to Crown counsel for review. Moreover, 35 provincial fines and bylaws tickets have been issued.

The Surrey RCMP used to have a four-member bike squad in the 1990s, but that was discontinued.

"A full-time bike squad was in operation from the early 90's until the mid 2000s when priorities shifted and the focus was on ensuring an adequate number of general duty officers were on shift to handle the increasing calls for services from the public we were seeing at that time," Cpl. Bert Paquet said. "It is as a result of our community expressing the need for a greater police presence is some areas of our city that it was reinstated."

The call came, in particular, from Newton residents following the still unsolved murder of Julie Paskall, 53, who was brutally beaten outside the Newton Arena on Dec. 29 and died on New Year's Eve.

Surrey RCMP Chief Supt. Bill Fordy rode with the detachment's original bike squad in the 1990s. 

"The murder of Julie Paskall was particularly repulsive and offended me as a human being, as a hockey dad, as a citizen of Surrey, former hockey coach, your police chief," Fordy said at a recent Surrey Board of Trade luncheon. "I've made a personal commitment to ensure she did not die in vain."

According to Cpl. Neil Kennedy, in charge of the new bike squad, residents are happy to see the Mounties rolling again.

"The feedback we have received so far has been very encouraging," Kennedy said. "Residents and business are very pleased to see us out here, and being on bikes allows us to provide a much more personalized level of policing."

The bike squad has also arrested suspects for breaching court orders and has removed some weapons off the streets. A woman nabbed for jaywalking was identified as a prolific offender with five outstanding warrants. Police said she had been evading the law since last summer.

Fordy said the bike squad represents "a great example of the police and the community working together to solve issues of crime.

"We need each other and we all share in the responsibilities of public safety," he said.

tzytaruk@thenownewspaper.com



About the Author: Tom Zytaruk

I write unvarnished opinion columns and unbiased news reports for the Surrey Now-Leader.
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