POLICE GO AFTER 'BIKE COURIERS'

A community meeting held Tuesday night by Langley City residents
wanting to curb mounting problems of drug dealing, drug addicts, crime
and prostitution in the Linwood area is already reaping results.

Following comments from residents about aggressive cyclists using the
sidewalk to traffic drugs and alcohol around town, Langley RCMP
decided to step up enforcement on cyclists breaking the law.

"At the (community) meeting, I stepped outside to talk to some people
and I almost got hit three times by individuals riding bikes very
fast," said police spokesperson Cpl. Dale Carr. "One of the guys on a
bike actually rode in between us on the sidewalk."

Police will be focusing on cyclist not wearing helmets and those using
the sidewalk.

"We can ticket them under the Motor Vehicle Act or under the City
bylaws," he said.

More than 60 residents, police officers, a representative from Block
Watch and City officials packed into Captain's Galley Fish and Chips
to discuss ways to take back the neighbourhood.

Suggestions from police and citizens resulted in ideas like starting a
citizen crime patrol and taking a zero tolerance approach to graffiti.

"We are all here for one reason: To take back our neighbourhood. It's
our community," said Maple Manor Apartments manager Lorne Seifred, who
organized the meeting.

Residents had plenty of stories to tell about the criminal activity
occurring in their backyards. Many discussed the system criminals use
to courier drugs around town.

The couriers use bikes and skateboards, traveling at high rates of
speed on the sidewalks and through neighbourhoods.

Residents said the drug/booze couriers and thieves use bird calls and
whistles late at night to signal each other.

"We can hear them whistle back and forth all night," said one resident
of the Huntington apartments on 201 Street.

"These guys (drug dealers) are on bikes, they are bullies who don't
want you out there walking," said one woman.

"We've had our mailboxes broken into a dozen times. We spent $10,000
for new mail boxes that are harder to break into and we've had
break-ins all over again," said a woman about the increased amount of
break-ins in the area.

Others said people are breaking into the underground parking lots and
sleeping in people's cars, sleeping in the bushes outside the
buildings, leaving garbage everywhere.

One resident commented that on her way to the meeting, she passed a
prostitute working on the corner. Another told of a drug dealing house
at the corner of the park.

"The City is four kilometres by four kilometres and it's in such a
mess. I don't blame the officials or police, it's the laws that have
no teeth. Let's keep police posted. Call police if you see something,
whether they get there or not . . . it's so that they know," said one
resident from Park Place apartments.

Cpl. Ken Samagalski, who is the senior officer at the City Community
Police Office, said that he wants to know about everything going on.

"Your information is part of a puzzle that just might be what we need
to figure this out," he told the crowd.

Some residents argued that their calls to Langley RCMP dispatch
haven't been taken seriously.

"If you're not happy about the demeanor (of the dispatcher), I want to
know about it and I'll get back to you," he said.

A manager of an apartment on 201A explained that the 'tagging' type of
graffiti is used by criminals as messages to each other about drug
deals, theft, etc.

"Tag marks advertise behaviour," said the manager, about allowing the
tagging to continue.

One resident said a phone booth used for drug deals has a lot of
tagging on it, but none of it overlaps, indicating that it might be
used as a communication board.

Park Place resident Zosia Ettenberg, who helped organize the meeting,
said the caring showed by all who came out is an example of what this
community is about.

'We are at a tremendous advantage because we are a small community. We
can lead by example," she said.

While residents were willing to do their part, even offering to
volunteer to clean up graffiti this week and join Block and Crime Watch -
some were asking for a little more help from the City and police.

"You want us to be volunteers, be the police's eyes and ears, but you
need to do more too. If you do more, I'll do more," said one resident
to Mayor Marlene Grinnell.

Grinnell said if there are things that the City are required to do
they will do them, but hiring more police officers isn't something
she's ready to do right now.

While some commended police for having a larger presence in the park
lately, others said more visibility is needed. Councillor Terry Smith
said he wants more police out after midnight.

"We need to send a message to the City that we want more policing.
Right now we have built our own prisons and housed ourselves in them,"
said a senior citizen.

At the end of the more than two hour meeting, Grinnell congratulated
the crowd for caring so much about their community. "I don't want this
issue to drop over the table because this issue is so serious," she
said.

Grinnell then asked for a person from each of the buildings in the
area to sign up with police for a follow up meeting to take place this
month.