In the wake of two deadly shootings in Surrey neighbourhoods last week, two different sides are debating about how to tackle the recent crime wave.

Khan Michael Bourne, 32, was found on Tuesday afternoon lying on 114 Avenue between 132 and 133a streets suffering from gunshot wounds. He was rushed to hospital but did not survive.

On Friday, a man was killed in a targeted shooting in the area of 176 street and Abbey Drive.

The recent killings have left residents worried, and bolstered the city's reputation as a dangerous place.

"I take precautions. I don't go out late in the dark or unaccompanied if it's very late," says Karen Gudbranson who lives near Surrey Central Skytrain Station, where a teen was stabbed in September.

Gurpreet Singh Sahota, founder of the community group Wake Up Surrey, thinks part of the answer to Surrey's crime problem is to fast-track the mayor's plan to replace the RCMP with a municipal police force.

"We need help right away. We are in a transition period and I think it's better to move it forward," said Sahota. "The provincial government and city government should work together to move it quickly."

The cost of the transition hasn't been worked out yet, but the general consensus is that a municipal force will be more expensive, and in the meantime it has stalled the hiring of more police.

"I think it's very unfortunate the last budget council defeated a request from the RCMP to hire 12 additional officers," said city councillor Linda Annis, who also serves as the head of Metro Vancouver Crime Stoppers.

She draws a comparison between Surrey and Vancouver, and says the city needs more police officers – RCMP or otherwise.

"Our population is 85 per cent of Vancouver's population where they have about 1,400 officers," said Annis. "Based on that math, we should have almost 1,200 officers here in Surrey, and probably more when you consider our geographic size. We're almost three times the size of Vancouver, making Surrey a big place to get around."

She disputes Mayor Doug McCallum's estimate about the cost of switching to a municipal force.

"There is absolutely no way a Surrey Police Department is going to cost just 10 per cent more than the RCMP," said Annis, who thinks the way to make a real difference is to add up to 300 police officers.

"The simple fact is, a Surrey Police Department that doesn't have a major increase in officers is not likely to make us safer," she said. "The real issue is the number of police, not the colour of their uniforms."