With all due respect to New Westminster Police Department Sgt. Sanjay Kumar, I do not understand how he can claim the downtown area of New Westminster is a safe place to be given the numerous incidents of violence reported in that area in recent months.
I have a great deal of respect for the job the men and women of the New Westminster Police Department do for this city, in spite of our pathetic excuse for a \”justice system\” we seem to have in this country.
The solution to this ongoing problem of violence and mayhem is for the justice system in this province to take this matter seriously and to start locking up violent offenders for the maximum amount of time possible; for the provincial government to provide proper facilities to house and care for the mentally ill; and to house and rehabilitate people with drug (addictions), instead of this notion of giving them free drugs. You don\’t treat an alcoholic by giving them alcohol, and you sure as hell can\’t cure an addiction by giving them drugs.
The folks who work and live in the downtown core deserve much better, and I sincerely hope that all current and future city councillors will continue to give the New Westminster Police Department whatever tools they need to protect the citizens of New Westminster, and all of the businesses across this city.
And perhaps one day the judges in our courts will start locking up violent offenders for years instead of days, weeks or months at a time.
And I sincerely hope that in the upcoming election for city council all citizens of New Westminster will refrain from voting for anyone running for city council who does not support our police department 100%.
Gary Tupper, New Westminster
NOTE: This was originally published as a letter to the editor at the Record newspaper online on Feb 7, 2022