Plenty of dads spent their Father's Day at a public safety forum in Surrey, at a banquet hall that was allegedly previously targeted in a shooting.
Concerned South Asian business owners, local residents, and municipal, provincial and federal representatives gathered for the forum, which followed a against the community. Satish Kumar, a Surrey businessman who helped organize the forum, said he hoped to gather the community together to help find some solutions to the ongoing extortion threats.
Kumar himself said two businesses he has current and former links with were recently shot at, in connection with extortion-related phone calls he has been receiving over the past few months.
Kumar showed the gathered crowd images of the messages he said he had received from the alleged extortionists.
"You're not replying, right? Now you're going to die. You're next. You will be killed," part of one message said.
Another tells him he owes $2 million, and that it is his final warning.
"You have until tomorrow to respond. If you don't ... then get ready to die."
Several politicians then spoke over the next two hours, including Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General of B.C. Garry Begg, local MPs and MLAs including Sukh Dhaliwal and leader of the provincial Opposition John Rustad, Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke, Surrey Police Service Chief Const. Norm Lipinski and Wendy Mehat, chief superintendent of the BC RCMP香蕉视频直播檚 Provincial Operations Support Team in Surrey.
"What is happening in Surrey is frightening, and no one should feel unsafe in their community, in their business or in their homes," Begg told the crowd.
"Organized crime is very complex ... I want you to know that this is a multi-jurisdictional issue that is not happening only but all across the country. Our government is standing with you. At the provincial level, we continue to take action to ensure British Columbians are safe from organized crime.
"More than $100 million is invested annually to support specialized enforcement and intelligence programs targeting guns, gangs and illicit activities. At the national level, the federal RCMP established a national co-ordination and support team to work with police in B.C. and other jurisdictions," he continued, before urging those affected to report any extortion-related threats to police.
"I cannot stress enough the importance of reporting any threats or attempts of extortion to the police immediately. This information is crucial," said Begg.
Locke noted it's the fourth such meeting held about the issue of extortion.
"I know people are frightened... the city is meeting regularly with affected people," she said. "But unfortunately, not everyone is reporting these incidents, and we all have to ask ourselves, why?"
Locke then focused on policing in Surrey.
"This is very specifically a direct message to the province and it is a direct message to the premier and to you, Minister Begg: Policing Surrey is at risk today. It is not an experiment in Surrey," Locke said.
"I must tell you 香蕉视频直播� and you must understand 香蕉视频直播� that we are not getting the kind of service and attention that we need in order to keep our citizens safe. Not just from Surrey Police Service and not just from E-division RCMP, but the entire nation.
"What happens right now in Surrey falls squarely on the province's shoulders. How it is fixed 香蕉视频直播� and make no mistake, it must be fixed 香蕉视频直播� falls squarely on the provincial government. Right now, public safety in Surrey is fragile. We have a public safety crisis in Surrey."
Locke also urged those gathered to report threats.
"If you know something, say something," she said.
Locke said she intends to write to Prime Minister Mark Carney with four requests: a "real-time, intelligence fusion 香蕉视频直播� a single national dashboard that flags extortion incidents within hours, not weeks"; special operations funding and expanded RCMP in Surrey, plus emergency federal grants for municipal police until arrests are made; victim supports guarantees, 24-hour protection details and financial-loss compensation for families who come forward; and, a joint provincial-federal task force "to audit the impact of Surrey's police transition on organized crime activity with the authority to redirect resources on the spot."
"Surrey is going through the largest police transition in North America's history. The province of British Columbia must do its part to remove any bureaucratic failures, and to expedite this transition and to ensure our residents are protected every step of the way," Locke said.
Lipinski noted that while SPS is the police agency of jurisdiction in the city, "as we all know, the transition is not complete, and so the RCMP Surrey Provincial Operations Support Unit continues to work very closely with us, and I continue to speak to Chief Supt. Mehat on a weekly basis about this issue.
"The issue of individuals being extorted for money with threats of violence has been on the rise over the past 18 months in a number of communities in Canada," Lipinski continued.
"In Surrey over the past six months, there have been 10 reports of extortion. I also recognize there are more incidents that go unreported. It is my hope that through today's forum, we can encourage more individuals to report these crimes and that as a community together we can show strength."
Lipinski couldn't confirm whether reports on social media of individuals or groups taking responsibility for the extortion-related crimes were factual.
"We live in a society where there is free speech under the Constitution. We've all seen the rhetoric on social media on a variety of topics," he told the crowd.
"Know that the police monitor and look at, after there's an incident, on social media, to see if there are any investigative leads. We are very much on it and watching that."
Kumar said the June 11 in broad daylight in Surrey was also extortion-related, something police have not confirmed, although they said it appears to be a targeted incident.
"Mr. Sharma was at his place of work at the time of the shooting and he had no criminal history," said Integrated Homicide Investigation Team spokeswoman Sgt. Freda Fong.
香蕉视频直播� with files from Anna Burns
