New Surrey police team responds to 55 overdoses in two weeks

It's been a busy first two months of operation for the newly minted Surrey Outreach Team, an RCMP task force created to address issues of homelessness and drug use in the neighbourhood of Whalley in Surrey, B.C.

According to a report to be presented to the city's public safety committee, the police team dealt with 55 overdoses between Jan. 10 and 23 none of them fatal.

The team has also been trying to discourage the use of propane heaters by people living in tents due to the risk of fire, handing out hand-cranked LED flashlights and refillable hot water bottles to those who turn in their propane devices.

The report also calls on the city to keep the temporary 40-bed Parkway Shelter open until at least March 31, 2018.

Police team launched last year

The report details the implementation of Surrey's City Centre Response Plan, launched in early December to deal with the effects of the ongoing fentanyl crisis.

The RCMP task force is a major part of the plan. Fraser Health and fire services are also included.

The outreach team has been operating since early December 2016, focusing primarily on the section of 135A Street between 106 and 108 Avenues, an area commonly referred to as "the strip."

The team has been keeping daily logs of its interactions with area residents. Between Jan. 10 and 23, the team recorded a daily average of 53 people living in tents in its operational area.

In that two-week period, the team located six people on 135A Street who had been reported missing.

The report will be presented to Surrey's public safety committee Monday afternoon.