Pubdate: Tue, 27 Feb 2007 Source: Vancouver Sun (CN BC) Copyright: 2007 The Vancouver Sun Contact: http://www.canada.com/vancouver/vancouversun/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/477 Author: Gerry Bellett, Vancouver Sun SURREY TAKES DEAD AIM AT CRIME Television Cameras To Be Installed In High-Crime Areas Such As Shopping Centres Surrey Mayor Dianne Watts unveiled an ambitious crime reduction strategy Monday that will incorporate measures used by British and U.S. authorities to reduce crime in areas plagued by property crime, violence, drug addiction and prostitution. "It's an approach that seeks to incorporate all the key stakeholders and create one unified, comprehensive plan," she said of the 106 recommendations that make up the package. Among the measures announced are: - - Plans to install closed circuit TV cameras in high crime areas, mostly shopping centres. - - A crime reduction website in English, Punjabi and Chinese that will inform the community what programs are available and allow them to receive advice. - - Establishment of an $8.4 million non-profit foundation to provide funding for homelessness and housing programs. - - A target of 300 shelter beds for the homeless by 2008. - - Establishment of community drug action teams to assist persons living on the street (the homeless, sex trade workers, runaways, drug addicts and at-risk youth) find access to social support and medical services. - - Establishment of a prolific offender management team that will follow an offender through the criminal justice system to assess and address the factors that caused the offender to commit crime. - - Work on creating a model for a community court system. - - Focus on problem-solving court sentences for juvenile and adult offenders. - - A community justice resource team that would be available to the court to recommend appropriate treatment processes for offenders. - - An accreditation program for recovery centres to ensure persons placed there by the courts would receive effective treatment. Watts made the announcement at Surrey RCMP headquarters flanked by Attorney-General Wally Oppal, RCMP Assistant Commissioner Al Macintyre of E Division, Surrey RCMP Chief Supt. Fraser MacRae and local MPs and MLAs. Watts and Oppal said it is time to start dealing with the causes of crime, and the present system is failing. "The criminal justice system is no place for the sex-trade worker, the homeless, the mentally ill or the addicted," Watts said. Oppal, who said Surrey's crime reduction strategy is fully endorsed by the provincial government, said the problem with the existing criminal justice system is that its components operate in isolation. "We operate in silos. The police are independent, the Crown is independent, the courts are independent, the lawyers. We need a complete shift in philosophy. We can't keep doing business the way it's been done in the past. The world has changed," he said. "Over 80 per cent of property crimes are being committed by less than 10 per cent of people. These are either addicted to drugs or alcohol, homeless or suffering from mental illness," said Oppal. "What do we do about that? Do we keep sending these people to jail until they become chronic offenders and part of the revolving door? We know that doesn't work. The public is dissatisfied and crime is still being committed. "I commend the mayor and the City of Surrey for what they are doing. This is an integrated approach. We can no longer just deal with the symptoms of crime. We need to deal with its root causes," said Oppal. Although the plan calls for a community court for Surrey, the attorney-general said that would not be created any time soon. Oppal said the government is working on establishing the first community court in Vancouver and wants to see how it works there first. Watts said Surrey's population is approaching 420,000 and there is increasing homelessness, drug addiction and crime. "The relationship between crime and drug addiction is complex and undeniably we must deal with both together. We have seen prolific offenders returned to the community time and time again with virtually no consequence to their actions," she said. Watts said it was the "sheer frustration of trying to deal with these issues" that led Surrey to look at other countries to see how such problems are being dealt with. She said programs in Britain reduced crime rates by 44 per cent in some places while in New York there was a 56-per-cent reduction in on-street prostitution in midtown Manhattan. Surrey has already implemented some parts of the strategy and has hired a homelessness outreach worker who has already placed 60 persons in permanent housing in six months, said Watts. RCMP teams began targeting prolific offenders in 2006 and arrested 360 individuals. "We had great results. In 2006 auto theft was down by 22 [per cent] and business break and enters in Whalley were down by 45 per cent," said Watts. "By incorporating the recommendations of the crime reduction strategy we will be able to make an even larger reduction in crime," she said. TARGETING CRIME Surrey's new crime reduction strategy is based on four 'strands.' The strands: - - Prevent and deter crime - - Apprehend and prosecute offenders - - Rehabilitate and reintegrate offenders - - Address fear of crime and promote feelings of safety. The details: Surrey hopes to implement these actions and more within the following year: - - Closed-circuit TV in high crime areas - - Community drug action teams - - Prolific offender management teams - - Community action groups - - Establish a homelessness and housing foundation - - Work on a community court system - - Work to make multi-unit housing safer - - Multi-lingual website on crime - - Seek private partners to build affordable housing Source: City of Surrey FIGHTING CRIME - - Wally Oppal is B.C. attorney-general. - - Oppal says a community court will be tried out in Vancouver first. - - He said B.C. fully endorses Surrey's crime reduction strategy and he commended the mayor and city. - --- MAP posted-by: Derek