Surrey’s top cop is responding to the mayor’s concerns over the release of a dangerous sex
offender in this city.
The Parole Board of Canada released Gary Jagur Singh, dubbed the Marpole rapist, into Surrey recently with a number of conditions including electronic monitoring.
The Surrey RCMP was aware of the release, but limited to the amount of information it could disclose.
Surrey Mayor Doug McCallum criticized the move to release Singh into this city.
“The Parole Board of Canada acknowledges that Singh’s sexual deviancy can never be cured,” McCallum said in a release. “In a previous day parole Singh breached his conditions and he has been denied full parole now, which makes his release to a halfway house in Surrey all the more irresponsible and troubling. Singh is a designated dangerous offender and I am frustrated by the lack of information coming from the RCMP.”
The claim that Mounties had not adequately informed McCallum did not land well with Surrey’s top cop.
“I acknowledge the frustration expressed by Mayor McCallum in the news release he issued today (January 10, 2020) regarding the release of a dangerous offender into Surrey,” Assistant Commissioner Brian Edwards said in a release.
“While the Surrey RCMP share many of these concerns, it is important to recognize there is a significant process in place by the Parole Board of Canada to determine if and when an offender can be released into the community and the conditions they are put under.”
Edwards noted that he had informed the mayor of the impending release.
“I personally advised Mayor McCallum of the situation on two separate occasions and provided him the information that could legally be provided to him regarding this situation. While I acknowledge that the limited information that the police are able to provide in these cases can cause frustration, we have a legal obligation to balance the privacy of individuals and the risk to public safety.”
Where in the city that Singh is residing has not been made public.
“For the safety of the people of Surrey, I believe that our residents need to be told where this prolific sexual predator is residing in Surrey. That information should be made available immediately.”