September 9, 2014

Surrey, BC – Faced with an ongoing crime wave that is being met with inaction by the current Surrey Mayor and Council, Mayoral candidate Doug McCallum unveiled the Safe Surrey Coalition and their Public Safety Platform Tuesday morning.

Consisting of McCallum and 4 City Council candidates – Small Business Owner Rina Gill, Community Advocate Laurie Guerra, Journalist Beau Simpson and Lawyer Justin Thind (complete bios can be found at www.safesurrey.ca) – the Safe Surrey Coalition represents a serious response to the growing problems of crime and insecurity infiltrating the streets of Surrey.

The Safe Surrey Coalition is releasing their Public Safety Platform containing 6 specific proposals:

• Introduce the Mayor’s Integrated Public Safety Council
• Establish Minimum Thresholds for Service Levels in Accordance with the RCMP Contract Accountability Provisions
• Double the Amount of Officers on Patrol & Accelerate Hiring of 95 New RCMP Officers to 2015
• Double the Amount of Bylaw Officers in the Community
• Invest $4 million per year over 4 Years into a Crime Prevention through Social Development (CPSD) Community Strategy
• Launch a Public Awareness Campaign & Encourage Involvement with the RCMP Public Crime Prevention Programs & the Surrey Crime Prevention Society (please visit safesurrey.ca/publicsafetyplatform for the complete proposals)

The creation of the Safe Surrey Coalition and their Public Safety Platform comes directly as a result of what has been heard from Surrey residents since launching his campaign, says McCallum.

“People are fearful in neighbourhoods across Surrey, and are looking for leadership, detailed proposals, and most importantly, a plan for action on the issue of public safety,” says McCallum. “The Safe Surrey Coalition represents a group of candidates with diverse community involvement, political affiliations and professional backgrounds that are united by one overpowering concern: Public Safety.”

The Safe Surrey Coalition has come together around public safety, but believes in a balanced approach to governance. Adhering to a set of Guiding Principles (www.safesurrey.ca/guidingprinciples), the Safe Surrey Coalition will continue to release a range of policies for consideration in areas such as fiscal responsibility and management, transportation and electoral reform.

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