Pubdate: Fri, 30 May 2008 Source: Burnaby Newsleader (CN BC) Copyright: 2008 Burnaby Newsleader Contact: http://www.burnabynewsleader.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1315 Author: Jennifer McFee SAFETY SOLUTIONS SOUGHT While some might think of the area around Burnaby Mountain secondary as a quiet residential hideaway, Emma Suen would be quick to correct them. Suen is concerned about noise, traffic and, most of all, illegal activities in her neighbourhood. "A known drug dealer lives in our townhouse complex. The drug dealing is happening right under our nose," she said at the North Burnaby public safety forum, which drew a crowd of more than 100 people to Alpha secondary on Wednesday night. In the past year she has noticed an increase in traffic, with cars and trucks constantly sitting in a no-parking zone at the end of Eastlake Drive. "Sometimes you see people inside the cars as though they're waiting for something. They drive high speed into the area and once they're done their business, they speed off. We have these problems consistently in the area. You don't know what it's going to develop into. There might be a drug shooting," said Suen, the Block Watch captain for her neighbourhood. The location is right on the pathway of the urban trail, she said, which puts dog walkers and families at risk. Suen said the drug and alcohol activity carries over into Eastlake Park, which becomes a noisy weekend party destination. She said the area is often strewn with broken bottles and damaged park property. "When I first moved in I was happy to see the parks, but it just turned into a young people's party. There's a lot of vandalism in the park. I've been really disgusted," she said at the open-house event. Supt. Rick Taylor said these problems might be caused by prolific offenders already known to police, but RCMP rely on tips from people like Suen to push investigations forward. "We want and need you to report even the smallest crime. We need that information," he said, adding that many repeat offenders commit crimes to feed drug and alcohol addictions. "You have my personal commitment that we'll work tirelessly beside each and every one of you to keep our community safe." Mayor Derek Corrigan said he believes in compulsory treatment for criminals with addictions problems. Without dealing with the root of the problem, he said people will continue to commit the same crimes over and over. "One of the ways we can operate effectively in our community is to ask for your help, to get you to be the eyes and ears of our community," said Corrigan, adding the city has increased staff to patrol public parks. At the forum, Taylor also addressed the concern some residents have had trouble reporting crimes through the dispatch centre. He said RCMP are working hard to improve accessibility and are considering an interactive website to give residents another way to report crimes. Based on the success of the North and South Burnaby safety meetings, they are slated to become annual events. - --- MAP posted-by: Steve Heath