‘Living in fear’: $250K Surrey reward offered to spur extortion tips

When the city and the Surrey Police Service announced a $250,000 reward fund and an extortion tip line on Monday, Chief Const. Norm Lipinski was asked if this was a “sign of desperation” that there have been only two arrests made after an alarming 44 incidents since June.

 Lipinski was blunt in his response.

“In many respects, money talks,” said Lipinski at a press conference at city hall, adding that, “this reward is intended to motivate individuals to provide specific evidence to police to further the investigation, leading to the arrest, prosecution and conviction of individuals,” he said.

The public pressure is mounting in Surrey with 27 of the extortion-related incidents involving shootings. Early Sunday morning there were also two vehicle fires in the Panorama Ridge neighbourhood that the SPS says might be related to the extortion attempts mostly connected to South Asian residents in Surrey.

Monday’s press conference drew most of Metro Vancouver’s media outlets as residents clamour for answers on this problem.

Mayor Brenda Locke and Lipinski joined forces to announce the $250,000 reward fund that could be one lump sum amount, or be broken up into smaller pieces depending on the information that is supplied to police, and if it leads to charges and convictions.

“We cannot and will not let extortion take hold in our city,” Locke said at the press conference, adding that “people are living in fear” right now due to the threats.

The reward amount is coming directly from the Surrey city budget and was approved by council. Locke called it one of the largest rewards offered in Canadian history.

The Surrey Extortion Tip Line (236-485-5149) will be monitored by SPS police officers, seven days a week, between the hours of 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Punjabi-speaking officers will be available as required.

Lipinski said these cases are complex and many of the victims are reluctant to speak up for fear of retribution.

“I really feel for the people of Surrey, I really feel for the victims that are subjected to this, and let’s keep in mind, they all have families,” he said. “We certainly appreciate their strength in coming forward and we encourage the reporting of these incidents because you don’t know when that small nugget of information may lead to something big.”

Lipinski urged people who are being threatened to report what has happened, promising that the SPS will protect them. Lipinski also advised victims to not pay any blackmail money and to ensure that any evidence from, for example, a shooting, be preserved for police investigators.

Locke said the city and the SPS, as well as the RCMP are working together on this issue. The mayor, however, expressed disappointment with the level of support from more senior levels of government.

“To be perfectly frank, we have not had what I had hoped for in terms of that support,” she said. “People are living in fear in our city and this is not good enough – we need to see more action from the federal and provincial government.”

Lipinski wanted to remind the public that this isn’t just a Surrey issue, as there have been other Canadian cities struggling with extortion attempts, citing Brampton, Ont. as having to deal with such threats for at least a year.

“Extortion investigations are complex and, in many cases, involve organized crime groups operating inside and outside the country. For these reasons, obtaining information that can advance police investigations to the point where charges and convictions can be realized is challenging,” said Lipinski. “This is why this additional investigational tool is being launched, through the support of the City of Surrey.”

Payments will only be issued if information directly results in identification, prosecution and conviction.