NEWTON — The City of Surrey is actively taking steps to make Newton a safer community, according to Mayor Dianne Watts.
At the Newton Recreation Centre on Saturday, Watts addressed the concerns of hundreds of area residents at the Newton Community Association’s (NCA) second neighbourhood forum. She detailed how the city has made changes to prevent crime, poverty and drug use, among other issues, in the area.
While politicians were barred from the NCA’s January meeting to make room for concerned citizens, Saturday’s forum gave the mayor, council, local MLAs and MPs the opportunity to respond to those initial issues.
“At the last meeting…we heard very clearly a number of items from the community of what they’d like to see done,” said Watts, noting that city staff attended the inaugural forum.
“Some of the issues were around lighting, pruning, foot patrols, bike patrols, landscaping, the assistance phone, additional CCTV camera, parking, signage, security guards, community policing office extended hours – all of that’s done, all of that’s implemented.”
The mayor’s address Saturday followed her recent announcement of the city’s “relentless” crime-reduction plans, as laid out by the task force she started last November in response to the record-setting number of homicides in Surrey. Those plans include hiring 24 police officers over the next two years and creating a 20-member community safety foot patrol and six-cop bike squad at the district police stations.
Surrey RCMP Chief Supt. Bill Fordy said the community police office around the corner from the recreation centre has extended its hours to 10 p.m. nightly. TransLink director Barry Forbes added that the transit authority is working to increase security at the Newton Exchange bus loop.
Watts discussed safety upgrades and expansions the recreation centre and Newton Athletic Park, development through the Build Surrey program and the city’s teamwork with the province to establish a local community court – all efforts, she said, to solve ongoing problems in the community.
“We all have a vested interest (in Newton),” she said. “This meeting really gives us all an opportunity to come together, to share information, to share ideas.”
– With files from Tom Zytaruk
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