Surrey Police moves ahead with officer recruitment, despite city’s gang violence

SURREY (NEWS 1130) – Surrey Police is moving ahead with recruitment, despite calls to press pause amid the current wave of gang violence.

The National Police Federation believes this is a mistake, saying experienced officers in Metro Vancouver should be focused on recent shootings.

Surrey Police Chief Norm Lipinski says the recent incidents across the Lower Mainland have not slowed their recruitment process down.

“We’re moving ahead. And I can say that, in discussing this issue with other police chiefs, there’s a lot a lot of work going on behind the scenes right now,” he says.

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Lipinski’s goal is to still have officers recruited in August and September, and on the ground in late Fall, however there a lot of moving parts to get this done.

“They would undertake some training, and that takes a bit, just to get everybody on the same page of policies and practices, etc.”

Lipinski says Surrey Police will fully takeover from the RCMP in 18 months to two years, and whilst the service won’t have its own stand-alone homicide squad, it will still work in conjunction with the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team.

Lipinski added he does not want to discuss the recent gang violence, as he believes it’s too early to comment on what Surrey Police would possibly do differently.