SOCIAL SERVICES NEEDED TO STOP CRIME, MAYOR SAYS

SURREY - Access to social services -- not jail time -- is what's
needed to stop crime in Surrey because most criminals there are drug
addicts, says Mayor Dianne Watts.

Speaking to the Surrey Board of Trade on Thursday, Watts pitched her
new crime reduction strategy, saying that the old approach hasn't worked.

"The criminal justice system," said Watts, "is not the place for the
homeless, sex trade workers, chronic runaways or drug addicts."

Research shows that incarceration is not a deterrent to an offender
with a drug habit, said Watts, as she delivered her annual
state-of-the-city address.

"The addiction overpowers the consequences," said Watts. "They can be
thrown in jail for 10 years and when they come out, if not dealt
with, they will continue to reoffend."

Watts said crime has decreased in Surrey with auto theft down by 38
per cent last year and break-and-enters in the commercial area of
Whalley down 45 per cent.

Watts said there is enough money in the system to fund her approach,
but what's missing is co-ordination among various police, health care
and social service agencies.