Community safety is still top of mind for newly-elected Langley City Mayor Ted Schaffer.
Schaffer called a meeting at City Hall on Tuesday with Transit Police, RCMP and Langley media to talk about the efforts being made to improve people’s safety, after several disturbing and violent crimes have taken place around the bus loop and 7-Eleven.
“I’m still getting calls several times a week from concerned citizens about the homeless and about not feeling safe around them, but they have rights too,” said Schaffer.
“Yes, we have a shelter but some of these people don’t want to go there. I don’t have the answers.”
That is why he is creating a homelessness task force, which will have community members involved, including representatives from BC Housing, Stepping Stone, the BIA and the Langley Chamber.
“We are hoping to retain a consultant to guide us through the bureaucratic channels,” he said.
Innes Plaza, at 204 Street and Fraser Highway, has re-opened with numerous surveillance cameras now installed. Better lighting is also now in place. The fountain at Innes Corner has been a hot spot for drug dealing and robberies.
City manager Francis Cheung said the cameras aren’t monitored but if a crime is committed, they can review the footage from that time and provide it to police.
Crime around the Logan Avenue bus loop has also been a major concern that saw Schaffer demand transit police step up patrols.
Schaffer said he successfully got the Chan family, who own the nearly-empty Rainbow mall at the bus loop, to install lighting at the empty store front where Liquidation World used to be. Prior to the new lighting, the bus loop was very dark at night.
Cascades Casino has also installed lighting at the back to light up the road behind its building.
TransLink has also agreed to install better lighting at the loop. The poles still have to be ordered so those improvements are around three months away.
Security cameras at the trasit exchange are a more thorny problem, as that requires permission from the privacy commissioner. Getting permission isn’t easy, police say.
Transit Police deputy chief officer Ed Eviston said since the City requested more presence at the loop, they have been there “at least 32 times conducting mobile and foot patrols.”
In those times, transit police have noticed an improvement at the bus loop.
So has Langley RCMP Staff Sgt. Dave Carr.
“Crime rate in the City is down and we’ve had no problems at the bus loop,” said Carr.
However, efforts will continue.
A joint five-week project of patrolling the bus loop and adjacent areas is starting next week. It will involve the RCMP and transit police, and will take place during afternoon peak hours.
“We will be doing street checks and going on buses,” said Langley RCMP Cpl. Shannon Savinkoff, the community liaison officer who will work out of the City CPO. Police will re-evaluate then to see if such concentrated efforts are still needed.
Two task forces related to public safety will be proposed at the Langley City council meeting on Monday for consideration, including a crime prevention task force headed up by Schaffer, and the homelessness task force, headed by Councillor Gayle Martin.
New councillor Val van den Broek, who worked at the Langley City CPO for nearly a decade, will be the council liaison to both task forces, from her position on council’s public safety committee.