by Mike Coates
Boundary Park Journal
October 31, 2013
On Tuesday October 29, an estimated 250 residents of Surrey's Boundary Park neighbourhood met with Surrey Councillor Barinder Rasode and RCMP District Commanders Staff Sergeants Martin Blais and Paul Poloz, to voice their concerns over alcohol and drug usage in the park in addition to property and violent crime in the subdivision.
The spur of the moment meeting was organized by long time Boundary Park resident, Ruby Stovern with the assistance of Roanna Ng.
With only two days to Halloween, Ruby and Roanna expected a gathering of 65 people and subsequently made plans to hold the meeting in Boundary Park's Elementary School Library. When 250 people showed up, the meeting was quickly moved to the school's gymnasium.
Many residents expressed their concerns about the incidents occurring in Boundary Park and were pleased to hear that both the City and the RCMP were prepared to take immediate action to address these problems.
On behalf of my neighbours, I would like to thank Ruby, Roanna, Barinder, Martin, Paul and others for their help and support in making our community a safe and great place to live.
The following e-mail sent by Ruby Stovern on October 30 to those who attended the meeting outlines a recommended course of action.
Hello All,
Thank you very much for your attendance at last night’s
Community Safety Meeting. It was quite
an impressive turnout. Now it is time
for all of us, together with the city and the RCMP, to take action on the
concerns we raised.
As a neighbourhood we need to become more involved. This can
take on many different forms, and at the level that you are most comfortable.
We need to increase our participation in programs such as Block Watch as well
as increase the number of calls made to the police. We need to stop looking the other way, or
assume that someone else will make the call.
We can all play a role.
What I need from you is a response to this email if you are
willing to become a member of Block Watch and/or become a team captain for your
area. We need to show the police that we take the situation seriously and are
willing to do our part by reporting on problems in our neighbourhood, so that
the police can better do their job. Last
night was a good start, but it is just the beginning.
Secondly, I am also looking for 10-15 people to sit on a
Boundary Park Safety Committee with me.
As was discussed by Staff Sergeant Blais last night, this committee is a
group of concerned citizens who will be willing to attend meetings with the
police to make sure that the issues
discussed at the meeting are properly dealt with in a timely manner.
It would be ideal if we could get representation from areas
throughout our neighbourhood: i.e. around the school, by the pond, 60th
& 124, end of 121st, cul-de-sacs with pathways, etc. Basically,
any areas that are being hit the hardest by criminal activity.
With your email response, could you please provide me with
your full name, your address and general area of Boundary Park so that we can
ensure all areas of our neighbourhood are represented.
After the meeting I heard from many of you that you are
willing to help. That was great to hear.
If we all work together I am sure that we can help rid Boundary Park of most of
the unwanted criminal activity that we discussed at the meeting. Together, with
the city and the police, I am confident that we can make a big difference in
this community.
I am looking forward to working with you.
Thank you for your continued support,
Ruby Stovern
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