When comparing the first three months of this year to 2025, most violent crimes in Surrey have seen an increase
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Shootings in Surrey have increased significantly so far this year in comparison to the same period in 2025.
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And so have most violent crimes, including extortions that are continuing to impact Punjabi-Canadian business owners, according to data from Surrey police.
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There were 28 shots-fired incidents, excluding those related to extortions, as of the end of March — a 300 per cent increase from the same period in 2025 when there were seven.
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Extortion shootings are counted separately from shots-fired incidents by police. By the end of March last year, there were three extortions reported. In the first three months of this year, there were 75 — a 2,400 per cent increase.
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“The caveat should be that when you are dealing with low numbers, even a small increase or decrease can lead to large percentage changes,” said Surrey police Staff Sgt. Lindsey Houghton.
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As of Monday, 96 extortions were reported for this year, 16 of which included shootings. No one was injured in the shootings. A total of 51 individuals have been the victims of extortion, more than half of whom have been targeted numerous times.
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Earlier this week, Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke said shootings have increased by 800 per cent in the city over the last year.
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The mayor’s office Thursday clarified Locke was referring to police statistics for February, for which the comparison to last year was more steep. In the first two months of 2025, Surrey had two shots-fired incidents — which is up by 850 per cent in 2026 when there were 19 recorded in the same period.
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SPS has not released crime statistics for April, with Houghton explaining that the official numbers are typically a month behind for most police agencies.
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“I can tell you anecdotally, that the 300 per cent is now lower year-to-date and not higher,” Houghton said of shots-fired incidents.
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Other violent crimes have increased this year, including homicides. There have been six by the end of March and by that time last year, there was one.
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Robberies increased by 24 per cent over the same period, with 92 by the end of March in 2025 and 114 by that time this year. Assaults were reported 775 times by the end of March last year, and 933 times by the end of March this year.
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While year-to-date statistics for extortion have risen, the crime seems to be trending downward and earlier this year, SPS was happy to release the news.
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When comparing late last year and January of this year to subsequent months, extortions decreased from a stark increase at the onset of 2026 to a steep decline since.
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In January 2026, there were 44 extortions reported. Ten of those involved shootings.
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The following month had a decline, with February reporting 17 extortions, one of which included a shooting. In March, there were 14 cases, including three shootings and 19 in April, with two involving shootings.
