The City of Langley is working with police and other agencies to make its streets safer, and to reduce fears that some people have about their personal safety.
That was the overarching message from a meeting called by Mayor Ted Schaffer on Wednesday morning, involving City administrator Francis Cheung, Langley RCMP head Supt. Murray Power, Langley RCMP Staff-Sgt. Dave Carr, TransLink Police chief Neil Dubord and deputy chief Ed Eviston.
Cheung and Dubord outlined measures the City and TransLink have taken to improve safety in and around the Logan Avenue bus exchange, which has been the centre of attention since The Times reported on a serious incident Nov. 28, in which a man getting off a bus was attacked and beaten by two teens. His tools and rent money was stolen. They were arrested soon afterwards by Langley RCMP. Dubord said the man, Chris Lafrenier, was attacked after he walked away from the bus exchange late at night, on his way home from work. He said the attack took place near the 7-Eleven store at 203 Street and 56 Avenue. Langley RCMP have not yet said exactly where the attack took place.
Power said the two teens, 15 and 19, were picked up quickly as a result of an initiative Langley RCMP have developed to have a good presence in the City late at night.
“The City is paying for a good number of members per citizen,” he said. “Geography works for us there, as it is a tight quadrant, and we can be very efficient at certain times. We have really started to see a change in crime statistics. Anyone who is around in the middle of the night will be checked by a cop, and the word is out that police are present.
“Police presence is a huge crime prevention deterrent, and we do our best.”
Power said he is “cautiously optimistic” that the crime severity index in Langley City will be down in 2014 from 2013, when it was the highest in the Lower Mainland area on a per capita basis.
He said crime is on a downward trend in the city and police are becoming increasingly sophisticated in the measures they are using. One new one that Carr is responsible for will see an RCMP member stationed at community police offices, including the one in the City, to deal with citizens and business people about specific issues.
Another is the prolific offender list, in which Langley RCMP regularly list the top 50 offenders in the community, and specifically target the top 10 on that list.
In addition, Langley RCMP has recently assigned Const. Justin Guile to work with people with mental health issues, and be the direct liaison with Langley City on that issue. Power emphasized that many of the homeless people in the City are not committing crimes, but police are in regular contact with them. Mentally ill people need to be identified so that help is available for them, he added.
As part of the Lower Mainland District, Langley RCMP also works with the COMPSTAT program to identify criminal activity and how it crosses municipal boundaries. At the present, the entire region is suffering from an increase in auto thefts and many police jurisdictions are working on the issue. Power said thieves routinely steal vehicles as part of their transportation from one crime scene to another.
In terms of the bus exchange, Dubord said that 24 files were started in Langley in 2013, with 10 incidents taking place at the bus exchange. Two were crimes against people.
TransLink has improved lighting at the bus exchange itself and is looking at further lighting enhancement. The City is improving lighting and installing security cameras at Innes Corner, and is seeking work with Cascades Casino and Convention Centre to see if cameras could be used to identify people traversing the casino property, which is between Innes Corner and the bus exchange. It is willing to cost share with TransLink to improve lighting at the bus exchange.
Installing security cameras at the exchange is much more challenging. Eviston said that they cannot be installed unless the privacy commissioner approves a “privacy impact assessment” which would allow police to monitor security cameras.
“For policing purposes, laws (about privacy) are very restrictive,” Dubord added. “Private property owners can install them more easily, and they can try and protect their property.”
The fact that the mall adjacent to the bus exchange is largely vacant is a problem, he and Cheung acknowledged, but there is nothing the City or TransLink can do to get the offshore owners of the mall to install cameras on their property, or rent out more space.
The bus exchange won't be moving any time soon. See separate story.
Eviston said TransLink Security will be at the bus exchange and the Carvolth bus exchange, where there have been a number of criminal incidents recently, every day.
He also urged bus and SkyTrain passengers to make use of a phone app that allows them to communicate by text message with TransLink Police and not alert someone nearby who may be causing them to be uncomfortable. He said this can be a less obtrusive way to deal with problems.
He added that TransLink Police are stretched fairly thin, as they are responsible for 1,800 km of transit lines, and much of their work is in following up and investigating reported crimes.
Schaffer said council will get started working on a crime prevention task force on Monday, which will involve police, the City, businesses and citizens. He is also working on a homelessness task force which will go to council in January.
He said TransLink Police and Langley RCMP have been asked to consider joint foot patrols in the downtown area, as has successfully occurred near the King George and Gateway SkyTrain stations in Surrey.
“We are trying to find out what is going on in the streets. We are not walking with blinders on,” he said.