Surrey RCMP went door to door Wednesday to warn businesses about a dangerous armed robber who has been targeting local shops.
The move comes after two men were shot on Monday night at a gas station by a suspect who is believed to be the same man who carried out five other robberies in the span of two days.
One of the victms -- a 19-year-old is recovering in hospital. The other --a 70-year-old -- remains in critical condition after being shot in the stomach.
Dave Atwal was supposed to be working Sunday night. Instead his 21-year-old son was behind the till when an armed robber came in and pointed a gun at his head. Dave's son gave the robber cash from behind the till.
"We are just relieved he did the right thing and didn't confront him,'' Atwal said.
Police believe the robber may be a drug addict who is looking for a quick fix. Police are so concerned about the escalating violence in the area they have more than 40 officers and a community safety team on the street.
Meanwhile, North Surrey business owners are hoping that this latest crime spree will lead to a stronger police presence in the area.
That's because the shooting spree has occurred in an area where a CTV reporter didn't' have to look far to find evidence of criminal activity.
Around Brad Jukes' North Surrey auto shop, for example, a reporter noted that metal has been ripped off the telephone poll. Even the bus stop is gone.
"Basically they dismantled this structure over a day and stole it all for scrap," Jukes said.
It all adds up to millions of dollars worth of insurance claims and lost productivity.
But what blew Jukes away the most was the response of police when he complained publicly.
"They told me in no uncertain terms that they wanted me to stop making these comments,'' he said.
An RCMP official can't confirm or deny Jukes' allegations, but he says police do sympathize.
"I can tell you we've got personnel here that are extremely dedicated and putting in man hours like you wouldn't believe to bring crime even lower in numbers here in surrey," said RCMP Sgt. Roger Morrow.
Ironically the crime spree comes on the heels of a report to Surrey City Council. It highlighted the successes of the city's crime reduction strategy. But though the numbers say things are getting better, the mayor admits more has to be done.
Surrey Mayor Dianne Watts says she doesn't think the police and the city have done enough to reduce crime in the area. "No I don't," she said, when asked to comment on the issue.
Watts says she's setting up a meeting between business owners, the police and the city to try and change that.
"We are planning that for next week and so again it's sitting down and coming up with those strategies so we're all playing a role in that," said.
And while Brad Jukes looks forward to the meeting, his demands are far more basic.
"All we want is old fashioned police representation and I don't feel that's too much to ask," he said.
With a report by CTV British Columbia's Stephen Smart
