B.C. politicians call on federal government to get tough on extortion crisis

B.C. Politicians haven't stopped up(p) calling for thomas more process on the extortion crimes threatening s asiatic communities in the Lower Mainland.

"What we're seeing in Surrey is a terror attack in slow motion," said Premier David Eby at a premiers’ meeting in Ottawa Thursday.

He advocated for his federal counterparts to pass a bill that includes tougher sentences for extortion-related offences. He said the rules need to change so foreign nationals facing extortion charges can’t apply for refugee status in Canada.

"You would never dream of giving refugee status to someone who participated in a terror attack, but that's exactly what's happening under our current system. That loophole has to be closed."

Eby’s comments come just days after the City of Surrey called on Ottawa to declare a state of emergency due to extortion.

Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke said residents are scared and traumatized by the escalating crisis.

Surrey police are investigating 36 reports of extortion just this month. Last year, the city saw almost 50 extortion-related shootings at homes and businesses, according to the police.

The federal government announced Wednesday it would send up to 20 additional RCMP officers and deploy two helicopters to focus on the crisis, but Surrey city councillor and mayoral candidate Linda Annis says she wants more resources.

"We need more police officers than that. We need to be very visible on the streets … we need to have enough police officers so that we can do road-side checks in high-risk neighbourhoods," she said at a campaign event Thursday.

Annis says she wants the city to hire 300 more Surrey police officers over the next four years and for the city to become the home of a new municipal police training facility.

Gurbux Saini, Liberal MP for Surrey's Fleetwood-Port Kells riding, agreed 20 police officers are not enough.

Criminologist Wade Deisman, associate dean of social sciences at the University of the Fraser Valley, said the surge in extortion crimes has become a public safety crisis that is becoming more serious by the day.

He said it's difficult to tell whether the 20 additional RCMP officers will make a difference as there isn’t enough information about their roles.

He said in the longer term, there needs to be a clear indication that people committing extortion crimes are going to be "brought to justice."

"So far that hasn't happened to nearly the extent that we need to see it happen."

Deisman noted there's a high likelihood that the Lawrence Bishnoi gang is involved and that it's possible there is some kind of relationship with the Indian state.

"This really does speak to a national scale response .… So far, we haven't heard that, a national task force on extortion. That's to me what seems to be required.”

He added there's only so much law enforcement can do on the issue and advocated for a grassroots campaign involving local businesses being targeted, which he said are often mom and pop shops.

"We need to have that kind of grassroots campaign going on so that members of the community writ large are all involved in … saying we are not afraid, we will not be intimidated."

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