Updated: Sun Jul. 26 2009 17:47:06

ctvbc.ca

A British Columbian MLA is demanding better transit security after a Surrey man was assaulted within view of a SkyTrain surveillance camera - but was still not discovered by security staff.

Ravinder Sidhu was at the Surrey Central SkyTrain station early on July 15, 2009 when he was attacked. He was beaten, bloodied, and had his watch and some gifts he was carrying stolen. Now he wants to transit security upgraded.

"Either it's safe or it's not safe for the public," Sidhu said. "I don't want anybody to be victimized in the future. There have been lives lost at this same station in the past."

None of the TransLink staff monitoring cameras that night saw anything in time to assist Sidhu. The victim was forced to call transit security himself to get help.

Now Harry Bains, the NDP MLA for Surrey-Newton, says he's trying to see new measures implemented.

"We're hoping to get a security person present at all times at every station when the line is in operation," he said. "That is not happening right now."

TransLink spokesperson Ken Hardie says the transit company has already increased security staff by 60 per cent in the past four years.

"There's usually someone here all hours of the operating day," he said. "Between the station and the bus loop, that's still a lot of territory to cover."

Hardie says that with 900 security cameras in the system, they can't afford enough personnel to monitor them as effectively as some might want.

"It is a matter of prioritizing," he said. "TransLink has just gone through a number of months of discussion with the public what its priorities are - and generally speaking, people feel safe and secure on the system."

With a report from CTV British Columbia's Peter Grainger