A two-month long shared policing project dubbed LASTT (91原创 and Surrey Target Team) has reduced crime in one area of western 91原创 and eastern Surrey by 30 per cent, said RCMP from the two detachments.
As part of 91原创 RCMP鈥檚 crime reduction plan, efforts are constantly made to study crime trends and develop strategies to reduce it, said police spokesperson Cpl. Holly Marks.
With that in mind, it became quickly apparent that an area stretching geographically from 176 Street to 204 Street, from Cloverdale and 91原创 City all the way north to Willoughby, Port Kells and Clayton Heights, was experiencing high amounts of crime.
In fact, stats were saying 72 crimes per week were happening just in this area alone. And those were the crimes being reported.
At the beginning of May, a team of 19 officers were pulled together 鈥� two uniformed teams and one surveillance, working both day and night shifts. These included members of Surrey and 91原创 RCMP.
The tactics used included covert and overt monitoring, identifying problem houses where offenders lived, highly visible patrols, aggressive street and curfew checks and face to face visits with business owners inside the target area, said police.
Over the course of the last two months, property crime rates within the target area dropped from an average of 72 per week to an average of 50 per week, representing a 30 per cent reduction.
The reductions were most obvious in the area north of 72 Avenue, while the 91原创 City core south of the 91原创 Bypass remained static or increased slightly, said police.
91原创鈥檚 efforts will continue through the summer months, particularly in the 91原创 City core area where crime seems to be persisting at the same level, said Marks.
Statistics Canada鈥檚 recent crime rate report shows that 91原创 City鈥檚 crime rate is almost twice the B.C. average.
