B.C. recommends transition to Surrey Police Service

The B.C. government is recommending Surrey continue its rollout of a municipal police force instead of keeping the RCMP.

Public Safety Minister and Solicitor General Mike Farnworth announced the highly anticipated recommendation on Friday morning, saying it’s “the best way to achieve public safety in B.C.”

“The people of Surrey are very frustrated by years of uncertainty over this debate, but we must move forward without reducing police presence when we need it the most,” Farnworth said.

The decision comes after the province’s director of police services compiled a 500-page report based on plans submitted by the City of Surrey, the Surrey RCMP, and the Surrey Police Service.

The minister points to staffing challenges in the RCMP, where there are currently more than 1,500 vacancies provincewide, as the reasoning behind the recommendation.

“This path forward will ensure safer policing for all regions of the province, including the people of Surrey, and provincial support will help keep them from paying significant property tax increases,” Farnworth said.

“When someone calls 911, they need to know that a police officer will be there in time to help. Now is not the time to put policing levels at risk in any community. In Surrey, or anywhere else in B.C. The people of Surrey have been through enough.”

Farnworth notes the municipal service will cost about $30 million more per year compared to the RCMP, adding the province has offered financial support to Surrey for the transition “to ensure no additional costs to Surrey residents.”

However, the province’s recommendation is not binding, as Surrey city council still has the option to keep the RCMP if it wishes.

“I think what’s critically important is that the City of Surrey takes the time to thoroughly go through the report. It’s 500 pages, it details the path forward, why we believe the transition to the Surrey Police Service is the right approach, and we are prepared to sit down with them in terms of the financial issues that have been raised in the past,” Farnworth said.

Former mayor celebrates recommendation

The province’s recommendation is welcome news to former Surrey mayor Doug McCallum.

In a statement following the announcement, he calls the recommendation a “victory” for Surrey residents.

“The Province has recognized that the transition to SPS is the best option for Surrey and the entire province,” said McCallum. “I want to thank Minister Farnworth and the Province for their support in this important matter. With the ongoing RCMP vacancy challenges, it is clear that a municipal police force is the best way to ensure public safety in our community.”

Former Surrey Mayor Doug McCallum (centre right) alongside other Safe Surrey Coalition members posing next to a Surrey Police Services vehicle. (Supplied by Surrey Safe Coalition)

McCallum began the process of a police transition back in 2018, but the rollout of the Surrey Police Service was halted after Brenda Locke took over the mayor’s seat in last October’s civic election.

“It’s time to put this debate behind us and work together to make Surrey an even safer place to live, work, and raise a family. This is a victory for Surrey residents who deserve the best modern urban police force,” McCallum said.

Over 400 officers and staff have already been hired for the SPS as part of the original transition.

Brenda Locke is expected to address the recommendation in a news conference morning.

Policing saga blasted by former city councillor

Marvin Hunt, who served as Surrey city councillor for over 20 years and as a local MLA for another seven, says he doesn’t understand why the decision didn’t go to a referendum.

“Somehow, when it comes to rezoning, we have to have a massive public process but something that affects every taxpayer and every citizen of the municipality doesn’t have a public process connected to it,” he told CityNews on Thursday.

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Hunt points out the argument against a referendum was the civic election last fall, where the two leading mayoral candidates’ platforms were split between either policing option. However, given the importance of this decision, he feels taxpayers should have more say.

“The issue is the people who are paying the bill, do they have control over the decision that’s being made? And when we’re talking about the police services, we’re talking about the single biggest expense,” he explained.

“As the guy who’s paying the piper, I should call the tune.”

The former politician also feels councillors are having too much of a say on the issue.

“We’re talking about a Surrey council which nine individuals who were elected […] you only need five of them to make any decision. So you’ve got five elected people, all you’ve had between two decisions was one election. So is the province going to do this each and every election? We’re going to go back and forth and back and forth and spend a fortune?,” Hunt questioned.

Friday’s announcement is expected to end a process that began four years ago under former mayor Doug McCallum, who initiated the transition to a municipal police force. Current mayor Brenda Locke, who was a vocal supporter of the RCMP as a councillor, quickly moved to halt the transition when she was elected in October 2022.

The process has attracted a lot of controversy through the years, including in recent months. A 12.5 per cent property tax hike was approved by Surrey city council in the 2023 budget to help pay for the transition costs already in place.

-With files from Sonia Aslam