Locke’s public safety group aims to bring Surrey RCMP to ‘full authorized strength’
Posted July 7, 2023 8:19 am.
Last Updated July 7, 2023 6:35 pm.
Surrey’s mayor continues to double down on her desire to keep the RCMP as the police of jurisdiction in the city.
On Thursday, Brenda Locke announced the “Mayor’s Working Group on Public Safety,” which identified two goals. One is to collaborate with the RCMP to bring it to “full authorized strength.” The other is to implement the city’s “Community Safety and Well-Being Plan.”
“Now is an opportune time for all levels of government to work together to deliver services that provide citizens a safe and secure environment in which to live and work,” said Locke in a news release.
Related Stories:
-
Surrey ethics commissioner finds councillor in conflict of interest in policing vote
-
Surrey taxpayers ‘biggest losers’ in policing saga: expert
-
Despite RCMP vote, Surrey Police Service says ‘it’s not over’
The city’s announcement outlines successful policing programs already in place in Surrey, such as the Car 67 program, and some anti-gang initiatives.
“Surrey RCMP are valuable partners in all of these programs and have shown they can provide modern, best-practices in urban policing,” the news release stated.
Locke also took to social media on Thursday, posting a video explaining the staffing situation of each policing option.
“Continuing with the SPS would not only be a costly decision for Surrey, it would also prolong policing instability,” she said in the video. “SPS needs more than 550 officers to be deployed to reach full strength, while the RCMP needs just 170.”
Surrey Police Service needs to deploy 550+ officers to reach full strength while Surrey RCMP needs just 170.
The Province’s report suggests an SPS transition will take 3 more years – during which time we'll be paying for 2 forces at a cost of $8M a month. That's $96M each year. pic.twitter.com/tloCrTtZDl
— Office of the Mayor (@SurreyMayor) July 6, 2023
The launching of the group comes as it’s still unclear whether or not the city will continue its transition to the Surrey Police Service (SPS).
Last month, Locke and B.C. public safety minister Mike Farnworth had a public back-and-forth over the policing decision after Surrey’s council formally voted to halt the transition. Just days after that council vote, Farnworth demanded to receive the city’s report within a tight deadline, or the province would make its own decision.
The solicitor general officially recommended in April after an independent report that the SPS transition continues.
Related Video: ‘He has been a bully:’ Locke responds to Farnworth’s Surrey policing report deadline
