Linda Hepner says parents of gangsters should turn their children in to police

Surrey Mayor Linda Hepner wants parents to turn their children into police if they know they are involved in gangs or crimes, because she says the wall of silence is hampering police investigations.

"Yes, I truly do believe they should be coming forward," she told CBC's Rick Cluff on The Early Edition.

On Tuesdayan elementaryschool was hit by bullets that leftone man injured the latest ina recent seriesof shootings in Surrey.

• SurreyRCMPtoo slow to respond to community tips, activist says
• Parents at Strawberry Hill Elementary concerned after school hit with bullets

Relatives handing overtheir loved ones isthe best thing they can do for theirchildren and the community, said Hepner.

"I think they should not only bedoing it for their own children orfor their family, if they know their family is engaged in this, but I think they should be doing it for the rest of us, who have our own children and grandchildren" she said.

Tips aren't enough

The community needs to speakup because while police are doing all they can, they are working within the limits of the law said Hepner in response to a acommunity activist's about RCMPresponse times tocommunity tips.

"Weare operating within the boundaries of the law. We have got to havemore than so-and-so knows such-and-such and that goes back to how many person checks and vehicle checks and how aggressive we are on that trying to get those elements in place to make those charges stick," she said

But community activistMeeraGill doesn't understand why the tips aren't enough forpolice to investigate and catch criminals in the act.

"They are not doing these activities in the jungle, they are doing it in Surrey.What more do they need to do?" she said referring to the latest shooting that occurred in broad daylight.

Gill fears the mayor's comments polarize the issue and put the blame on the community instead of solving the city's crime.

"For them to be putting all the expectations that someone will come out and give that stamped paper to them, Iwould say is tough luck right there."

To hear the full interview listen to the audio labelledSurrey mayorfrustrated by silence around shootingswiththe CBC's Rick Cluff onThe Early Edition.