Surrey community policing group ‘alarmed’ after volunteer assaulted
Posted November 9, 2022 6:06 am.
Last Updated November 9, 2022 6:09 am.
The executive director of a community policing group in Surrey is speaking out after a 17-year-old volunteer was assaulted while on patrol.
On Oct. 28, Surrey RCMP received a report of a volunteer with the Surrey Crime Prevention Society (SCPS) who was assaulted on 166 Street, near Bucci Park.
Related Stories:
The executive director of the volunteer group, Karen Reid Sidhu, says the volunteer was a teenage boy who had a goal of working in law enforcement.
“It’s just really alarming that our volunteers are out there, making a difference, giving back to the community, watching, observing, and reporting,” she told CityNews.
“In the 10 years I’ve been with the organization, we’ve never had a volunteer assaulted, and this is the first time. It’s very alarming to us.”
Sidhu says the incident happened when the teen was on patrol with another volunteer. She says two people approached them, asked for the time, and assaulted the 17-year-old with a baton, stealing his sunglasses.
“It’s just unnerving to me as the executive director of Surrey Crime Prevention, as a mom, and as a citizen of Surrey. I think it’s really unfortunate that these things are escalating, and we are just at a situation now where one of our volunteers has been attacked,” Sidhu said. “I’m just appalled,”
In an email to CityNews, Surrey RCMP confirmed the events of the incident, saying police have offered victim services to the teen.
“Any assaults or robberies involving youth are always concerning. In this case, it was a volunteer who was out in the community trying to make a positive difference,” RCMP said.
No arrests have been made, nor have any suspects been identified, Mounties add.
Majority of SCPS volunteers are under 30
Since the incident, Sidhu says the SCPS has re-emphasized protocol to its volunteers.
“We’ve taken steps to introduce reinforcement training for all of our volunteers and our staff. We already have that training in place. We’re emphasizing with our staff and our volunteers that ‘this is what you need to look for, these are the trends that are happening,” she said.
Sidhu says some of the volunteers with the SCPS are as young as 16 years old.
“The majority of our volunteers are under the age of 30. We have staff on duty all the time when our volunteers are out the community, so they’re not out there by themselves,” she explained, adding volunteers are only told to observe possible criminal activity and report it to the police.
“There was no indication that these youth were going to assault. There was no indication that they were up to no good at that time,” Sidhu added. “This is why it was so unnerving for us as an organization and for our volunteers who are involved in it.”
Surrey RCMP says the investigation into the assault is ongoing and asks anyone with additional information to contact them at 604-599-0502.
