Surrey council votes to keep RCMP

Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke announced on Friday that city council has voted in favour of keeping the RCMP in Surrey. But as Monika Gul reports, that’s a decision Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth needs to approve before it’s official.

By Charlie Carey and Dean Recksiedler

Posted June 16, 2023 9:07 am.

Last Updated June 16, 2023 9:06 pm.

Councillors in Surrey have voted to keep the RCMP as the police of jurisdiction in the city, stopping the transition to the Surrey Police Service (SPS).

Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke made the announcement Friday.

City councillors held a closed-door meeting Thursday, but all kept quiet after the meeting wrapped up.

She says the decision was “informed,” adding councillors have reviewed the provincial report on the transition — which ultimately recommended the city continue to move to the Surrey Police Service.

Locke says “the impacts of continuing with the transition are incredibly significant and had to be considered.”

Locke notes the RCMP has “effectively” policed the city since 1950, and that council has complete confidence in the Mounties and SPS members currently serving the community.

“I want to thank each and every one of them. They are all welcome to continue policing in Surrey.”

Locke says now the police officers in the city have clarity but that a “return to normalcy” will take commitment and “professionalism.”

“Despite the emotions [that] today’s decision will evoke amongst some, similarly, the City of Surrey, the province, the SPS, the SPS board, and the RCMP must all show the same qualities as we work together to achieve a single and effective policing Model in Surrey.

“There is no question that the decision on policing in Surrey rests with Surrey council. The premier and the solicitor general have confirmed that fact. Surrey council and I are committed to making an informed decision and we did that. We signed the nondisclosure agreement with the province and have reviewed the ministry’s report and requirements thoroughly,” she explained.

The decision comes after almost five years of debate and negotiation in the city about whether to keep the RCMP as the police of jurisdiction or to move to the municipal police force.

Surrey city staff had prepared a report, along with a provincial report, outlining financial information for both policing options.

However, Lock refused to share how each councillor voted on Thursday, saying “I can’t talk about that. That was in a closed meeting.”

During her civic political run last year, Locke’s platform included a promise to stop the transition to the SPS and keep the RCMP.

Decision goes against province’s recommendation

However, the provincial government recommended the city move ahead with the SPS and was promising $150 million to help with the transition.

In the province’s recommendation, Minister of Public Safety Mike Farnworth said part of the decision came down to it being a safety issue, as there are currently 1,500 RCMP vacancies in the province.

“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 of the transition to the SPS in April.

“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 noted at that time that the municipal service would cost about $30 million more per year compared to the RCMP.

Locke says she spoke to Farnworth and Premier David Eby on Thursday, and is “satisfied” that they are prepared to work in the “spirit of cooperation.”

“I want to stress the importance of working with the provincial government. It helps our city and it helps our province. As the mayor of Surrey, and the one that oversees the policing contract, I have very high expectations of the RCMP.

“I spoke at length with the RCMP commanding officer for British Columbia and the officer in charge of Surrey Detachment, and both have assured me that they can and are already in the process of meeting the obligations that the dissolution of the SPS places upon them,” she explained.

Farnworth says keeping the RCMP is not a done deal

During a media availability Friday afternoon, Farnworth asserts that Surrey’s vote to keep the RCMP is not a finality.

“This is a two two-step process. The City of Surrey gets to choose their police force but my responsibility is the second part of that process — which is to ensure safe and effective policing in the City of Surrey, in the province. And that the conditions, the requirements that I laid out a number of weeks ago are met.”

Farnworth said as the province’s solicitor general and minister of safety, he is required to ensure there is adequate policing in the province.

“When people call the police they need to be confident that help will arrive. I must be satisfied that the City of Surrey plan will ensure effective and adequate policing is maintained in Surrey and throughout the province.

“Once staff have been able to review the city’s report, I will be able to determine if the plan achieves this objective,” he said.

Farnworth says Surrey has offered its corporate report under a non-disclosure agreement, which the province says it will sign “quickly” to “ensure people’s safety” in that city.

“We continue to require a comprehensive plan from the city to meet the requirements, laid out as necessary. In the absence of such a plan, this could quickly destabilize an already precarious situation in Surrey, and significantly decrease police presence in other areas of the province.”

“I want to assure the people of Surrey and all British Columbians that I will fulfill my duty to keep our community safe. People in Surrey want to be safe, and they want this to be over.”

In a letter to Surrey councillors earlier this month, Farnworth stated that “the conditions placed on the City, RCMP, and the Surrey Police Service through my authority in the Police Act to maintain adequate and effective policing are mandatory and non-negotiable.”

Many of those conditions, however, have not been released publically, and are under the protection of an agreed non-disclosure agreement.

“I made it clear that in transferring back to the RCMP, for example, you could not take from other detachments … And likewise, I also indicated that the province has made a significant investment in rural policing, the provincial policing line, and some key critical areas such as the Highway Patrol, for example, and major crime units. And again, we don’t want those new provincial police resources being taken away. So, those are requirements that are already out there.”

Whether the province can pass legislation or a binding order to continue with the transition to the SPS, Farnworth notes that the community wants a resolution.

“That’s why it’s important that I see the report.”

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–With files from Hana Mae Nassar

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