An influx of complaints from people living in the South Surrey neighbourhood of Ocean Park has spurred action from the police.
Surrey RCMP said it is now monitoring the man at the centre of the complaints.
Residents in the area allege the man has been approaching women and girls and making unsettling comments.
Some residents have captured photos of the man, and he’s also been caught on doorbell cameras early in the morning.
Some in the neigbhourhood say he makes his intentions very clear.
“We’ve increasingly heard, especially last week, we’ve heard of him approaching women specifically and being quite brazen and blunt with what he’d like to do, and asking them if they would like to go into the bushes and saying his name and where he’s from and that he had been in and out of jail,” 14B Blockwatch captain Alexis Zehr said.
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RCMP Cpl. Sarbjit Sangha said while no criminality has been discovered, the detachment is taking the complaints seriously.
Due to privacy laws, Sangha could not share any details and would not share the nature of the complaints, which started earlier this week.
“Surrey RCMP is aware of community concerns regarding an individual in the Ocean Park area of South Surrey,” Surrey RCMP said.
“Frontline officers as well as the South Community Response Unit are engaged and monitoring the situation.”
Local MLA Trevor Halford says the community’s living in fear and while he commends what police are doing, is worried things could escalate.
“You had a group of dads frustrated with what was going on, they walked the guy to the bus stop, put him on the bus and demanded he get out of town and what do you know he’s back here at 6 a.m., 12 hours later,” he said.
“My biggest fear is it’s going to lead to a physical encounter.”
Sangha said police have been having community meetings with members of the public over the past few days to talk about the incidents and address concerns.
She also said police have made contact with the man.
“We want the community to be at ease. Our officers are in the community. Please reach out to them if you have any concerns,” Sangha said.
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