Not too late for flu shot, officials say page 11
Tweedsmuir hosts Fire Fighter’s Classic page 26
Thursday January 9, 2014
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Police release drawing of man after Fleetwood attack Sunday
Surrey sex assault suspect sought
Surrey is 45 cops short: Councillor
by Sheila Reynolds POLICE ARE asking for the public’s help in identifying a man suspected of sexually assaulting a woman in the Fleetwood neighbourhood of Surrey on Sunday. A 25-year-old woman was walking home from a restaurant between 5 and 6 p.m. Jan. 5 when she was approached by a man near the intersection of 80 Avenue and 158 Street. The man took her to a nearby baseball field in Fleetwood Park and sexually assaulted her. The suspect is described as between 25 and 35 years old, about 6’, pale skinned, with a gaunt face, deepset facial features, Sex assault prominent high suspect cheekbones and no facial hair. He was wearing black, soccer-style track pants (possibly Adidas) with white stripes down the leg, an oversized dark hoodie and black sneakers with white soles. At this time, police say they believe the incident is isolated. Anyone with information is asked to contact Surrey RCMP at 604-5990502 and ask for GIS or call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 to give an anonymous tip.
FILE PHOTO / THE LEADER
With the city’s population growing by 800 to 1,000 people per month, between 14 and 17 new police officers should be hired each year.
Mayor says she’d hire 100 officers tomorrow if city had the money by Kevin Diakiw THE CITY of Surrey has fallen behind in pro-
viding police officers. Coun. Barinder Rasode says the city needs 45 officers this year to come up the commitment made within the city’s own Crime Reduction Strategy (CRS). The much-touted document, a cornerstone of the current municipal administration, makes several promises regarding policing and public safety. Among them is “that the city continue its commitment to allocate resources to police services in proportion to the city’s overall growth at a minimum of one officer to every 700 residents or better.” Mayor Dianne Watts challenges the notion that the figure is as high as 45, but says there’s no question this city needs more police. “We know we need more police resources, there’s no doubt about that,” Watts said. “If I
“I think it’s time to review our targets...”
“We know we need more police resources...”
Barinder Rasode
Dianne Watts
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could have another 100, and pay $15 million for that, I would do it tomorrow.” Currently, the mayor said, the city is examining resourcing and deployment of Surrey RCMP. She said when that study is done in March, Surrey will examine how many more officers it needs to hire. If the city wants to keep up to its “commitment” in the CRS, the number is substantial. Surrey’s projected population for 2014 is 511,000 and it will have a complement of 686 RCMP officers. To keep up with the promised ratio, the number of officers should be 731. It means this year, the city is 45 Mounties shy, which would cost $6.75 million to hire. Rapid growth is part of the reason Surrey has fallen behind on its goal, Rasode says. Surrey is growing by between 800 and 1,000 people per month. The city typically hires 12 new police officers annually. See RASODE / Page 4
Save time, save money.
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