Surrey mayor Brenda Locke called on Ottawa to declare a federal state of emergency after 35 incidents of extortion crime took place in the BC (British Columbia) city this month. “The City of Surrey is experiencing an acute and escalating crisis of organized extortion, intimidation, and targeted shootings resulting in fear, trauma, and economic harm to residents and business owners,” said Locke, reading the motion.
“Residents and business owners are living in constant fear. Public safety is at risk, and the social and economic impact is real. The federal government needs to act now to give authorities the additional tools we need to keep our residents safe," the mayor said, calling for immediate deployment of more cops, RCMP units in Surrey.
