Could Abbotsford help Surrey in its drug wars?

SURREY (NEWS 1130) – A more innovative strategy for combating gun violence in Surrey may be found a little farther east up the Fraser River.

It wasn’t too long ago the city of Abbotsford was the hub for gang shootings and drug turf wars. While the city is by no means crime free, it has managed to drastically reduce the number of shootings.

Now Surrey is dealing with an uptick in gun violence with 32 shootings already recorded this year alone.

NDP MLA for Surrey-Whalley Bruce Ralston wants to know if Surrey RCMP has looked at the APD’s methods.

“They engaged the public at the high school level, at the community level and they also had a massive publicity campaign. You’ll remember this is when the Bacon brothers were at the front of the news. They engaged the public in a really deep and profound way and they got results. That’s part of the solution. Clearly what shows in Surrey is that traditional policing methods aren’t working. The number of shootings is going up, not down and I think the public is rightly worried.”

Ralston wants to hear from Surrey’s RCMP Superintendent on new methods he’s trying in the face of the trend.

BC’s public safety minister, the mayor of Surrey and several RCMP officials will be addressing the gun violence problem publicly Friday afternoon.

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