Province to receive Surrey policing plan this week

B.C.’s public safety minister and solicitor general says he expects to receive a plan from the city of Surrey to keep the RCMP as its police force later this week.

A statement from Mike Farnworth says he and the province’s director of police services will review the city’s plan to ensure it meets the requirements of the Police Act and continues to provide safe and effective policing for the community.

Surrey council voted this week to send the plan to the province for review and approval, saying it would save $235 million dollars over five years.

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A statement from Surrey police, which is well into its transition, says the report overestimates how many of its officers would join the RCMP and doesn’t consider $100 million dollars in costs already been incurred.

Meanwhile, on Tuesday, Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke confirmed she is making plans for the RCMP despite the final say from the province on the city’s police transition still at least weeks away.

While awaiting that call, Locke is not entertaining any other options, all while looking at a new approach for the old force.

“The changes that will be made … when it is the RCMP as the police of jurisdiction, finally, we will have a police board that will be made up of citizens that live and are responsive to the residents of this city,” Locke said.

Locke believes it will be weeks before they hear back from Farnworth.

“Mr. Farnworth recognizes that this has to happen expeditiously. And so we are hopeful that we will see something back, at least hear something back, by the end of the year. But early in the new year, I’m sure he’ll have something back to us,” Locke said.