ACTION CLEANS UP CRIME

A visible police presence on the streets of a Langley City
neighbourhood seems to be pushing out the criminal element.

Prostitutes, drug dealers, and criminals in the Linwood Park
neighbourhood of Langley City seem to be getting the message - they're
not welcome.

Residents, members of the RCMP, and Langley City Council and staff met
in October to talk about the residents' frustrations and possible
solutions for the neighbourhood.

The impetus of the meeting was a 146-name petition signed by people
living around Linwood Park which called for a larger police presence
in the neighbourhood bounded by 56th Ave. and Michaud Cres., between
200th and 201A Streets.

Since that meeting, The RCMP's City Community Policing Office began
foot patrols in the area along Fraser Highway between 201A and 206th
Streets, and along 56th Ave.

And the patrols seem to be working.

"Certainly we're feeling they're quite successful," said Langley RCMP
spokesman Cpl. Dale Carr.

Residents and building managers in the neighbourhood met again with
the police on Nov. 17 to talk about the issue and trade
information.

"We're getting some positive responses back," Carr
said.

The foot patrols will continue, Carr said: "Right now, it's
open-ended."

One person related a story to the RCMP that when a prostitute was
asked where the other hookers were, she said: "They've gone back to
where they use to work because there's too many cops around here,"
Carr said.

"The general consensus was that they [residents and building managers]
were pleased with what was happening," said resident Zosia Ettenberg,
who was at the November meeting.

Ettenberg, who helped organize the original meeting in October, lives
in the 20100-block of 56th Ave.

While problems are still out there, comments coming from residents
indicate there are fewer prostitutes and drug dealers in the area,
Ettenberg said: "In our building, the response I'm hearing is that you
really see a police presence now."

Many buildings now have anti-graffiti kits from the local CPO,
Ettenberg said, and people are expressing interest in volunteering in
the Crime Watch program.

"The more volunteers, the more shifts there can be," she
said.

Meeting with the RCMP has given residents more of an insight on how
the police work and how important it is for police to have all the
information they can get, Ettenberg explained: "So anything we see, we
will report."

"The message getting out there is that we are watching," she
said.

In October, and so far in November, the foot patrols have issued about
40 tickets for cycling-related offences. An immediate action coming
out of October's meeting was a zero tolerance campaign on cyclists
that were riding on sidewalks or not wearing helmets. Residents had
complained of cyclists riding on sidewalks, almost running people
over. Some said the cyclists were drug couriers.

Representatives from the neighbourhood and the RCMP have agreed to
meet every two months, Carr added.