Surrey council votes to send RCMP cost report to province
Posted December 12, 2022 8:50 pm.
Last Updated December 13, 2022 6:01 am.
Surrey councillors have voted to approve a report that marks another step in ending the city’s transition from the RCMP to a municipal police force.
During Monday’s meeting, council voted to adopt a staff report outlining the costs associated with either policing option. The information in the report will be sent to B.C. Solicitor General and Minister of Public Safety, Mike Farnworth, on Dec. 15.
Read More: Surrey police transition to cost $235M more than keeping RCMP: report
The staff report, which was requested by council in November, found that the RCMP would cost taxpayers over $235 million less than the Surrey Police Service (SPS) over a five-year period. The report assumed each agency would have 734 sworn-in officers, and considered other financial factors in its analysis.
Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke says the report is a “long overdue financial analysis” that she’s been requesting for a while.
“To prevent any further unnecessary spending of our taxpayer’s dollars, a prompt decision on policing in Surrey is essential. I look forward to hearing from the Solicitor General once he has had an opportunity to review the plan,” the mayor said in a statement.
Read More: Surrey city councillors, SPS raise concerns over city policing report
However, not everyone agrees with the numbers presented in the report.
Ahead of Monday’s meeting, representatives from the SPS, along with opposed councillors expressed concern over the assumptions that were made by staff in the report.
The SPS is preparing a report of its own to be sent to the province by Dec. 22.
