Solicitor General John van Dongen and Attorney General Wally Oppal have been putting in a lot of face time recently to show that the B.C. Liberals are getting tough on crime.

They were there on Saturday when the RCMP said it had solved the 2007 'Surrey six' slayings, and also appeared alongside the federal justice minister when he announced the elimination of the so-called "two-for-one" sentencing rules on March 27.

The photo opportunities are designed to show the government is cracking down, but when the Liberals said they would open a remand centre at the former Willingdon Youth Detention Centre in Burnaby to battle prisoner overload, their anti-crime agenda backfired.

The Liberals thought Burnaby was a perfect fit, but locals disagreed.

On February 23, 2009, hundreds packed an NDP-sponsored meeting to argue the 700-bed facility is too close to three area schools. It got so heated several residents circled Liberal MLA John Nuraney in the hallway and heckled him during his speech.

"We've been told by law enforcement people that we need to put in a facility," Nuraney said before being shouted down by residents.

For many, the idea of newly released criminals taking the bus with their children is too much to swallow.

"You can't have a prison in a residential area, schools, kids, it's a bad move," said one resident at the meeting.

"What about sexual offenders? What about violent criminals?" said resident Keith Quan.

"What about drug dealers? What happens when you open the front doors and they walk out onto the street?"

The Liberals soon found out that getting the law and order vote wasn't so simple, something NDP candidate Kathy Corrigan says she already knew.

"I don't understand why John [Nuraney] didn't go out on a limb farther and advocate for his community," said Corrigan. "Because he must have known this was a bad idea."

After three months of resistance the Liberals backed down, with van Dongen admitting the protests of residents was a consideration in the decision to seek a new jail site.

Even John Nuraney admits he was surprised by the backlash.

"It had become an emotional issue," he said. "Even if they were given the facts, it didn't matter."

So is the Liberal's reversal too late? Some voters think so.

"I think it hurt a lot," said Quan.

"It's puzzling that they went forward with this when they knew it would hurt."

In 2005, Nuraney won his riding by less than 400 votes. He's tried to boost his image by aligning with high-profile candidates lately, even popping up today with Attorney General Wally Oppal.

But the NDP aren't going to let Burnaby voters forget the Liberals wanted a remand centre in their neighbourhood.

"They've got nothing else to talk about," said Nuraney. "They keep reminding people, but it's a dead issue."

Some residents aren't so sure.

"There's a campaign on, and everyone is playing games," said Quan.

Crime may be playing on voter's minds, but selling people on how to fight it is still a delicate balancing act.

With a report from CTV British Columbia's Leah Hendry