Langley RCMP and the Township marked the official opening of a new Community Police Office (CPO) for the area’s fastest-growing neighbourhood on Wednesday, March 1.
The new CPO is just off 86th Avenue near the Carvolth park and ride transit hub, and will serve the Willoughby, Walnut Grove, and Fort Langley areas.
CPOs provide local support including criminal record checks, document verification, as a hub for crime-prevention education for local neighbourhoods, and non-emergency complaint reporting for local residents. Without the CPO, they would have to drive to the main detachment headquarters in Murrayville.
Some CPOs, particularly larger ones, can also serve as secondary, smaller offices for on-duty RCMP officers.
“We’re pleased to open this CPO and make more of our services for the public available to them in their home community,” said Supt. Adrian Marsden, the Officer in Charge of the Langley RCMP detachment.
“Public safety is obviously a big priority of our council and previous councils,” said Mayor Eric Woodward. He gave credit to his predecessor, retired mayor Jack Froese, and the last council, which approved the new CPO.
Both Marsden and Woodward mentioned they look forward to opening new CPOs in the future.
Officially, there are now three CPOs in Langley Township, but only the new North Langley one is open to the public.
The Aldergrove and Willowbrook CPOs closed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Although the Langley city CPO re-opened in 2021, neither of the Township’s reopened.
Last November, the Township said it hoped to re-open them to the public sometime this year. RCMP officers have continued to use the offices.
For future new or expanded CPOs, both Woodward and Marsden said Aldergrove and Brookswood are the locations most needed.
“Aldergrove would be a benefit for sure for us,” Marsden said.
It would allow for better response times and visibility of officers, he said.
The new North Langley CPO is located at 20161 86th Ave., unit B140. Currently, it is open 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Mondays to Thursdays.
READ ALSO: Langley Township community police stations to re-open in the new year
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