As many as 700 people attended a forum hosted by Vedic Hindu Cultural Society of British Columbia on Saturday where they addressed the “current law and order situation” in the Lower Mainland, media reports said.

The event was held amid growing concerns about an extortion racket targeting Surrey and Fraser Valley business owners.

Speaking to attendees, Officer in Charge of the Surrey RCMP Assistant Commissioner Brian Edwards pledged to stop the extortion problem, reported Global News.

Edwards told the meeting that police still weren’t sure whether a string of shootings in recent weeks were linked to the extortion racket.

He said police were further challenged by the fact that some people have paid the extortioners.

The forum happened just over a week after Cultural Society president Satish Kumar’s son's house was targeted in a shooting incident last month.

“There has been lots of gunfire, drive-by shootings and extortion letters going to the community right now,” Kumar told Global News Morning BC, ahead of the forum.

“A lot of us are scared right now to not report to the police, RCMP, so we wanted to get the community together and give the message to the community: Don’t be scared, come to the front and try to help the RCMP.”