Broken community court promise won't help reduce crime in Surrey
Crime has been the dominant issue in Surrey since well before the 2014 municipal election, which saw Linda Hepner succeed Dianne Watts as mayor and the Surrey First slate gain all nine seats on council. Back in 2007, when Watts was mayor, city council adopted a crime reduction strategy. One key element was introduction of a community court, similar to one that has been quite successful in the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver. However, Justice Minister Suzanne Anton has now put the brakes on that idea. At a recent groundbreaking for an expansion of Surrey Provincial Court – the busiest provincial courthouse in the province – she said “Community court is off the table.” The idea for a community court in Surrey followed a trip by Watts and seven other city representatives to New York. They found that community courts there addressed the root causes of crime and delivered swift justice. In such courts, people convicted of relatively minor crimes resulting from substance abuse ar...