Canada calls on Randhawa page 30
Dance fest takes it to the street page 41
Thursday
April 24, 2014
Serving Surrey and North Delta www www.surreyleader.com surreyleader com
More Mounties on the way Police committee eyes 95 officers over five years – 35 more than planned
by Kevin Diakiw SURREY’S POLICE committee has committed to hiring 95 RCMP officers
over the next five years – 35 more than had previously been included in the city’s existing five-year plan. Mayor Dianne Watts said the number came from a study initiated by Dr. Irwin Cohen last October. Cohen is the RCMP research chair at the University of the Fraser Valley. The city’s police committee met on Wednesday and recommended hiring 95 officers over the next five years. More of those could be hired in earlier years if seen as necessary, Watts said. The extra 35 officers being committed for hire come at a total cost of about $5 million annually, but with no cost to the taxpayer, Watts said. Surrey RCMP Chief Supt. Bill Fordy said the cost of the officers can be covered through efficiencies, such as RCMP health care that’s now Chief Supt. Bill Fordy paid for by the province rather than municipalities. “We’ve realized significant savings that I’ll be following up on with the city manager and the general manager of finance,” Fordy told The Leader. “In that process, subject to their authority, I believe we can increase (the allocation to) 95 police officers.” In January, Coun. Barinder Rasode called for 45 new officers to be hired immediately, to bring the number of boots on the ground to the ratio promised in the 2007 Crime Reduction Strategy (CRS).
On Monday, Surrey council is expected to endorse the hiring of 95 more RCMP officers over the next five years. Cost savings at the Surrey detachment will finance the cost of the new members.
“We’ve realized significant savings...”
EVAN SEAL THE LEADER
See PUBLIC SAFETY / Page 4
Richard ‘Chuckie’ Smith (pictured here with his kids) was seriously injured in a snowmobiling accident April 13. Family and friends are raising funds to support his family. FACEBOOK PHOTO
Support grows for Surrey man hurt in snowmobile accident Friday fundraiser for Richard ‘Chuckie’ Smith’s family by Sheila Reynolds A FUNDRAISER is planned in
Langley this Friday for a Surrey father of two who was critically injured in a snowmobiling accident nearly two weeks ago. Richard “Chuckie” Smith,
was riding his snowmobile near Whistler, in Brandywine Provincial Park, on April 13 when he went over a cliff. He was taken to hospital where he remains in a coma in intensive care. Almost immediately following the accident, friends and family
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Some choices are hard.
of Smith pooled their efforts to help out. A crowd funding page has been set up on FundRazr (called Helping Chuck’s Family through this tough time), which as of Tuesday afternoon, had collected more than $7,300 in donations. See SMITH / Page 4
Save time, save money.
Some are easy.
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