Policing promises to fulfill in Surrey and Vancouver

After their wins over the weekend, the new mayors of Vancouver and Surrey have some big promises to fulfill.

That includes halting the transition from the RCMP to the fledgling Surrey Police Service — something Mayor-elect Brenda Locke suggests is already underway, with staff meetings starting Sunday morning, just hours after her election win Saturday night.

“We have to make those plans quickly,” she tells CityNews. “And we will continue down that path.”

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There have been suggestions, including from outgoing mayor Doug McCallum who initiated the transition away from the Mounties, that the process is too far along to stop, but Locke asserts that is not the case.

“Mr. McCallum is just wrong — he’s been wrong on a number of fronts — but he is just wrong on that one. I have already started dialogue with staff and they had already anticipated some of what I was running on, so some of that is already in process. I have already reached out, some time ago, to [Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth], so he absolutely knows what this election meant to Surrey. This is absolutely doable and we are going to do it,” she said.

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When asked how much Surrey taxpayers would be on the hook for in reversing the transition, Locke admitted “there will be some costs to endure, no doubt about it” but argued the long-term costs of going ahead with the new Surrey Police Service “far, far outweigh the cost to stop where we’re at.”

At this point, the SPS has recruited and hired about 150 officers and 200 support staff and has been working under the command of the Surrey RCMP while the transition has been underway.

Locke has repeatedly promised that any capital expenditures can be integrated into the RCMP, though she has previously expressed concern for SPS officers who have already been hired.

SPS looks forward to working with Locke, asserts fulfilling local police mandate

The Surrey Police Service put out a statement Sunday, saying it looks forward to working with Locke and the new council.

“While SPS understands that not all members of the newly elected city council are supportive of the policing transition, and specifically the process undertaken by the previous council to change Surrey’s policing model, we reiterate that SPS is focused on public safety, not politics,” it reads.

“The building of SPS is already well-underway with millions of dollars invested, union agreements in place, 350 staff employed by the Surrey Police Board, and over 150 SPS officers providing operational police service to Surrey. We welcome fulsome discussions with mayor and council, however any decision to change course on Surrey’s policing model would require the approval of the Province of B.C., who approved Surrey’s change to a municipal police service in 2019.”

SPS Chief Cst. Norm Lipinski says he believes the new mayor and council “will see the benefits that municipal policing brings to Surrey and realize the significant financial and human investments that have been put into making Surrey Police Service a reality.”

Lipinski says they were given a mandate in 2020 to create a local police service and they will continue to move forward in fulfilling that mandate.

The Surrey Police Board has put out a similar statement with Executive Director Melissa Granum welcoming Locke, who is the new chair.

“The board is looking forward to open communication with the Mayor-elect as soon as possible to highlight the extensive work that has taken place, regarding the transition from the RCMP to Surrey Police Service. … The board is confident that the smooth transition to a municipal police service in Surrey will continue.”

In her victory speech, Locke said one of her first acts as mayor would be contacting the provincial government about rolling back the transition.

Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth has yet to make any comment on Locke’s win and whether the transition will be halted.

In Vancouver, mayor-elect Ken Sim has also made significant promises around policing and public safety.

New Vancouver mayor promises major police hiring spree

Sim’s campaign leaned heavily on vows to hire 100 new officers for the Vancouver Police Department, along with 100 new mental health nurses, to help deal with crime and violence issues in downtown Vancouver, Chinatown, and the Downtown Eastside.

Sim has said the proposal comes with a $20 million per year price tag.

Voters seem to have liked the message and so did the Vancouver Police Union, which backed Sim’s successful bid for mayor.

It’s expected Sim will address the policing promise, among other things, at a news conference set for 11 a.m. Monday morning.