One year after the brutal murder of Surrey hockey mom Julie Paskall, many residents say they still don’t feel safe in the city.
Paskall, a mother of three, was waiting for her teenage son outside Newton Arena on Dec. 29, 2013 when she was killed during an apparent botched robbery.
She was 53 years old.
For the Newton Community Association, safety concerns remained top of mind Monday as they marked the sad anniversary of Paskall’s murder.
“We’ve seen more boots on the ground in terms of RCMP officers, yet we’re still experiencing the same level of crime in the community,” spokesman Douglas Elford told CTV News.
The anniversary followed a recent rash of violence in the city, including a crime spree days before Christmas that saw a pregnant woman carjacked and a separate vehicle stolen with a newborn baby inside.
Mounties were also called to a shooting Sunday night that left a 31-year-old man, who is known to police, in hospital.
“It seems to be ongoing,” Elford said. “It’s nonstop in our community and people are afraid.”
Surrey has recorded 17 murders so far this year, down from a record 25 in 2013, but statistics from January to October reveal attempted murder charges more than doubled.
Property crimes are also up 27 per cent this year, and criminal charges overall have increased 21 per cent.
New Mayor Linda Hepner, who ran on a campaign promise to add 147 RCMP officers in the city, said the city needs the provincial government’s help tackling the root causes of crime.
“A whole lot of that has to do with mental health and addictions,” she said. “I think everyone pulling together, you’re going to see those types of changes.”
Hepner called on the province Monday to step up with funding to address the problems.
Surrey city council already approved funding for 100 new Mounties and 25 support staff earlier this month, bringing the total from 703 to 803.
A suspect in Paskall’s killing, 27-year-old Yosef Jomo Gopaul, was arrested and charged in May. He is scheduled to appear in court next month on a count of second-degree murder.
With reports from CTV Vancouver’s Nafeesa Karim and Tom Popyk
