Pubdate: Tue, 16 Sep 2008 Source: Surrey Leader (CN BC) Copyright: 2008 Surrey Leader Contact: http://www.surreyleader.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1236 Author: W. Blundell DEALING WITH CRIME IN WHALLEY I have recently been reading the local headlines regarding the crime statistics in the Lower Mainland. According to these statistics crime has dropped over the last year. Here in Surrey, although crime is reported to be decreasing, we still are dealing with more crime than most. With regards to the decrease, I feel I must comment that I don't see that to be the case in my own neighbourhood and surrounding Whalley. The majority of people who live around this area feel there has been no improvement at all, and many feel the area has seen an increase in street and drug crime. Most crime that occurs in my neighbourhood is not reported to the police, because the regular drug dealing, petty thieving and prowling doesn't seem to be taken seriously enough to make a call to an overworked police force. I work in the most troubled part of Whalley, and the law-abiding, working people in this area don't see real positive change. From my storefront I regularly see people buying and openly using drugs. There is also the ever-present aggressive panhandlers approaching people at their car doors, and garbage-filled shopping carts left all around. Theft prevention can at times take up a good part of my working day and even then theft occurs regularly in my workplace as well as the surrounding businesses. These crimes also go unreported. I walk through my neighbourhood and I see all the development, and I wonder what our new residents are going to think about prostitution and drug crime around them. I think if we want to look forward to a bright future in downtown Surrey we all had better start taking problems of addiction and homelessness more seriously. Waiting for development to make the problem go away is not the answer, and not the likely outcome. I think people are becoming tired of all the talk about what needs to be done. We want to see positive results and more proactive policies. W. Blundell - --- MAP posted-by: Larry Seguin