Surrey Police Service cruisers hit streets as take over date nears

If you’re in Surrey on Tuesday, you might see some new vehicles on the road.

The Surrey Police Service has rolled out 10 new marked cruisers, with another 20 set to hit the city’s streets by the end of the summer.

SPS officers will also continue to drive RCMP-marked vehicles leading up to the SPS becoming the police of jurisdiction on Nov. 29.

“Getting Surrey Police Service vehicles on the road is an essential step forward in Surrey’s policing transition,” said Chief Const. Norm Lipinski.

“As we prepare to take over policing on November 29th, it is important for residents to become familiar with the look of their new police service so they will be comfortable approaching SPS vehicles and officers whenever they need help or have questions.”

In May, the BC Supreme Court sided with the province, effectively throwing out the City of Surrey’s plan to keep the RCMP as the police force of jurisdiction.

Some SPS officers will now be driving SPS-branded vehicles while responding to calls for service. This morning, 10 SPS vehicles were deployed. Residents will see both RCMP and SPS vehicles as we work together to protect public safety. Read more: https://t.co/oSqAb9W5SU pic.twitter.com/RMepXnqbSB

— Surrey Police Service (@surreyps) July 2, 2024

The ruling comes after Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke submitted a judicial review of Farnworth’s July 2023 order that the RCMP must be replaced by the Surrey Police Service.

The petition, lodged in October of last year, sought to have the court declare that “the Province of British Columbia is without lawful authority to assign to the City the responsibility to transition the City’s police of jurisdiction from the police force established by the City,” under the Police Act.

Speaking to CityNews on Tuesday, Lipinski shared that he was “excited” about the marked vehicles hitting the road.

“[It’s] exciting for us, because we have an opportunity now to drive our own marked vehicles. And I think that’s exciting for the community as well — they will see a visible presence,” he said.

“Previously, we drove the RCMP vehicles and of course, our people would be an SPS uniform, but there were times when there was just a little bit of confusion in an SPS person coming out of an RCMP vehicle. So now, it’s it’s very straightforward.

“It’s a great morale boost. We’ve got a great team, there’s a lot of enthusiasm. We look forward to building up towards November 29,” he added.