TACKLING CRIME

It's 2002, and Dianne Watts flips open a large black binder where she
keeps her plan for crime reduction in Surrey.

Approaches include enforcement, education, prevention and treatment --
a quantum shift from a city that leaned hard on enforcement, with
little provision for root causes of crime.

Five years later, Watts is mayor, with a finely tuned version of her
rough document started six years ago. More than 100 people from
government, justice, social services and health care contributed to
the creation of the Crime Reduction Strategy made public Monday.

The four "strands" are:

- - Prevent and deter crime

- - Apprehend and prosecute offenders

- - Rehabilitate and reintegrate

- - Reality of crime

Key elements include community courts, where offenders are referred
for treatment, job training and other services to keep them from
committing crimes. Offenders exhibiting problems such as addiction
would be prime candidates.

The court concept is modelled after a similar system in New York, and
would need approval from the province.

B.C. Attorney General Wally Oppal said Monday he supports Surrey's
plan.

"We can no longer deal with the symptoms of crime, we have to deal
with the root causes of crime," Oppal said.

"We simply can't do business the way we have been doing business for
the past 35 years."

He couldn't say when the community court system would be implemented
here. Until then, Surrey will lay the groundwork by providing Crown
counsel with information about available treatment beds, homeless
shelters and other required services. It's hoped those services will
be included in recommendations for sentencing.

The plan also calls for "sobering centres" to treat people who are
drunk or high on drugs.

This year, outreach workers will hit the streets to help people most
at risk find the services they need.

"We know the criminal justice system is not a place for the homeless,
it's not a place for sex trade workers and it's not a place for
chronic runaways or the drug addicted," she said.

The plan also includes the implementation of closed-circuit television
cameras in Surrey's crime hotspots.

Russ Hiebert, MP for South Surrey-White Rock-Cloverdale, said the
federal government backs the plan.

"Our government is fully committed to working with Surrey to tackle
crime."