Editor,
Mayor Megan Knight says she believes there has not been a significant increase in violent activity in her community but says police presence on the beach will be increased in May as the weather becomes warmer.
Citing public privacy concerns, Knight recently voted in council against installing security cameras in areas where theft and violence are an increasing concern throughout White Rock, particularly in uptown. A policy by council to establish guidelines for the use of video surveillance was adopted in 2014 and amended in 2019. Nothing was ever done. Now two people are victims of violence on the beach where many residents walk with families year-round.
An incredibly violent gunfight with automatic weapons at Lee Street and Roper Avenue on Febr. 22 left that neighbourhood traumatized and White Rock residents stunned that this could happen here. Vandalism and break-ins have increased, with business owners absorbing the large costs of damages.
This council is extremely naive believing “little White Rock“ is somehow immune to the immense pressure of population growth all around us with the inevitable accompanying crime and social issues.
I’ve lived and worked in White Rock for 46 years and have seen this small city change irrevocably.
The vast number of people coming from other jurisdictions to West Beach and the pier has become an embarrassing and tacky destination designed for tourists, with some “visitors” who would do us harm. Canada’s Longest Pier, indeed. Concrete now dominates where grass, trees and earth once were.
Mayor and council need to stop pretending residents are “safe” when clearly we are not. Wake up. Install CCTV cameras on the beach immediately, at the very least. The residents of this city expect our elected representatives to better protect citizens who make White Rock their home.
J. L. Longworth, White Rock