Tuesday August 12, 2014 (Vol. 39 No. 64)
V O I C E
O F
W H I T E
R O C K
A N D
S O U T H
S U R R E Y
w w w. p e a c e a r c h n e w s . c o m
See what’s...
Gone Hollywood: South Surrey hockey players Ben Vikich and Dean Allison have been spending their free time this summer re-creating popular movie posters, and their efforts have gained attention online. i see page 11
and save on passes at
pne.ca
Knives thrown from balcony of White Rock home; murder charge recommended
Women attacked on night of homicide Sarah Massah Staff Reporter
Sarah Massah photo
Officers attend scene of attacks.
A White Rock neighbourhood is reeling following a homicide and two other attacks steps away from their homes Sunday evening. A 22-year-old man was arrested in connection with the death of a man in the 900-block of Ash Street, and police are recommending charges of second-degree murder and two counts of assault. The RCMP’s Integrated Homicide Investigation
Team have identified neither the accused nor the 61-year-old victim – who was pronounced dead at the scene – as of Monday afternoon. Police would not release the cause of death. Two women were injured and police say knives and other objects were seen being thrown from the balcony of the home where the man died. IHIT spokesperson Sgt. Jennifer Pound said in a news release Monday that the attacker fled on foot, but that the accused was apprehended by
White Rock officers a short time later. According to the release, several 911 calls came in as a result of the dispute. When White Rock police arrived, two injured women and one injured man (who later died) were located inside. One neighbour told Peace Arch News there was a heated altercation between a young man and woman on the street at approximately 7 p.m. Sunday. i see page 2
Screeching halt
Politicians conduct RCMP head count
Train stops for ‘resting’ teenagers
36 officers on beat each shift
Alex Browne
Black Press
Staff Reporter
Seventy-five Surrey Mounties aren’t hitting the streets due to sick leave, maternity leave and other absences, Black Press has learned. It effectively reduces the “roadable” force from 673 officers to 598, leaving only 36 uniformed general-duty officers per shift throughout the entire city. The optimum number for a city of Surrey’s size should be 50, police sources say. The revelation comes after Coun. Barinder Rasode, who had been requesting the figures for three months, finally received them. It effectively means 11 per cent of the force is unable to patrol the streets. It’s not uncommon for any police force to have a number of officers sidelined at any given time. In fact, Rasode told Black Press she was not surprised at the number. “No, I would have guessed that the number of non-roadable officers would have been higher,” Rasode said. “I was pleasantly surprised that it’s in the range that it’s been for a number of years.” Surrey RCMP Cpl. Bert Paquet said the numbers aren’t unlike that of other large organizations. “Like any employer, we have some employees who are not working (due to extended illness, paren-
A BNSF freight train came to a screeching halt on White Rock’s East Beach Friday after youths were observed lying across tracks. No one was struck or hurt in the incident, which took place at approximately 4:50 p.m. BNSF spokesperson Gus Melonas said the company is still looking into the incident to get full details. Witnesses and nearby residents report hearing the train sounding insistent warning blasts on its horn before the brakes were deployed. Others heard loud bangs as freight cars hit couplings hard as a result of the momentum. Karen Rempel, a server at Sandpiper Pub, said she heard the “squealing” of brakes and ran outside. “I could see two kids lying on the tracks,” she said. “They appeared to be a girl and a boy.” Rempel said that as soon as she saw the train had stopped safely, she called the White Rock RCMP non-emergency number. RCMP officers and fire and ambulance personnel came to the scene of the incident, she said. The train was stopped for close to 30 minutes, while police interviewed people at the scene. RCMP officials did not respond to calls for more details Monday.
Kevin Diakiw
Spirits soar
Boaz Joseph photo
Organizers of Wednesday’s Fly for CHILD 2014 event set their sights high and were not disappointed. For more Snowbirds photos, see page 11.
tal leaves, etc.),” Paquet said. “This number fluctuates frequently.” When the issue came up 12 years ago, then-mayor Doug McCallum said he “just about had a heart attack” when he was told that 43 RCMP members were “non-roadable.” Then-officer in charge of the RCMP, Randy Bennett, told Black Press at the time that there will always be a number of officers who can’t hit the streets. “They (administrators) know that you’re always going to have anywhere from eight to 12 per cent of the establishment not available for work,” Bennett said in 2002. “Those numbers are not unusual, not out-of-sync with other municipal police departments, with other RCMP detachments.” McCallum, who is running for mayor this fall, had requested the non-roadable numbers through Access to Information laws. While Rasode was not surprised by the figure, she was shocked to learn it leaves just 36 general-duty members per shift able to hit the streets. While there are many more police officers on duty, they are stationed in specialized units, such as traffic or dog teams. Only the three dozen represent general-duty officers on patrol. i see page 2