Surrey pushes ahead with plans to keep RCMP

Surrey City Council voted on a framework Monday night that will put a halt to the fledgling Surrey Police Service (SPS) and keep the RCMP in the city.

Mayor Brenda Locke admits it’s a big change, but the disbanding of the municipal force was a key part of her campaign during the recent civic election.

“The report last night was an important step in the process that actually should have been done four years ago. But it’s an important part of the process to get us to where the RCMP will remain the police of jurisdiction for the city of Surrey,” the mayor said

A report from city staff says the process to get rid of SPS could begin as soon as March 2023, however, it will need to be approved by the provincial government.

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The report notes that “the majority of the work to plan and deliver” the next phase of the police transition still needs to commence, adding certain steps have not yet been taken.

“Some preliminary discussions regarding the legal agreements have been held, however, substantive details have not been worked out, nor have agreements been drafted,” the report explains. “Such agreements may require approval of all parties, and likely Cabinet endorsement at both the Federal and Provincial levels. Based on the experience of prior negotiations, it is reasonable to assume the negotiations of these legal agreements will take 6 – 9 months. It is highly unlikely a fully endorsed and signed Transition Agreement would be in place before the expiry of the current MOU in May 2023.”

Surrey Police Union, councillor push back on report

The plan to keep the RCMP in Surrey has seen its share of controversy from within city hall and beyond.

Councillor Linda Annis previously proposed a motion to hold a referendum to allow the public to decide on which policing body should preside over the city, while the Surrey Police Union (SPU) has also pushed back.

The SPU announced earlier this month that nearly 95 per cent of its members had indicated they will not “join any RCMP detachment” if the SPS ceases to exist.

However, Locke says she’s spoken with some officers who have indicated they do want to join the Mounties.

“There will be a program for Surrey Police Service members to ladder with an experienced officer program where they can stay right here in Surrey and work in Surrey,” she said.

Spokesperson for the SPU, Ryan Buhrig, says it is “disappointing” the SPS was not invited to present prior to the vote on Monday.

“In terms of maintaining adequate policing in Surrey and across the province, their plan falls short,” he told CityNews.

An additional 33 SPS officers are now being deployed into policing operations, in accordance with the SPS-RCMP HR Plan. These officers are needed to ensure an adequate number of police officers are in place to respond to calls for service and maintain public safety in Surrey. 1/2 pic.twitter.com/HwlgQEsk5i

— Surrey Police Service (@surreyps) November 28, 2022

Buhrig points out that the RCMP already has trouble with staffing province-wide, with about 1,500 vacancies.

“Going back [to the RCMP] would not serve policing and public safety in the province,” he said. “So the RCMP would not only have to staff Surrey, they would also have to staff all these vacancies province-wide.”

The RCMP’s work environment, Buhrig says, is another issue, with SPU members feeling they may lack stability or support from management.

Council is expected to receive a final report from city staff in two weeks.

–With files from Dean Reckseidler, Hana Mae Nassar, Kareem Gouda and Martin MacMahon