Surrey Police Service chief on his way out of top job; interim chief named

1130 NewsRadio has learned Surrey Police Service (SPS) Chief Norm Lipinski’s time in the top job is coming to an end. He’s been told he must either resign or he’ll be forced out this week after spending years under the microscope in the province’s fastest-growing city.

The decision follows a Surrey Police Board (SPB) meeting on Monday.

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO 1130 NEWSRADIO VANCOUVER LIVE!

1130 NewsRadio has obtained an internal memo written by the Surrey Police Union to its members, stating it has yet to receive “formal notification” about Lipinski’s position, despite numerous requests for clarification.

In a statement later Tuesday morning, the SPB confirmed Lipinski’s departure but did not provide a reason.

The board says Deputy Chief Constable Todd Matsumoto has been appointed Interim Chief Constable. It says it will soon start the process to find a permanent replacement.

“We want to assure our partners and all community members that we remain focused on protecting public safety and providing uninterrupted service delivery to the community. We are confident in the leadership team of SPS, and in the continued professionalism of all SPS personnel,” the board stated.

Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke thanked Lipinski for his service and says she looks forward to working with Matsumoto.

“I am confident that the Surrey Police Board has a plan in place that will continue to prioritize keeping our neighbourhoods safe, while supporting the SPS to become a Canadian leader in trusted, modern, and responsive policing,” said the mayor.

The development, reportedly, isn’t going over well with union members.

“While we continue working to determine the facts, I want members to know that your union is fully engaged and actively seeking answers,” the internal memo reads.

“The union has repeatedly raised concerns regarding staffing, recruitment, retention, wellness, operational sustainability, and workload pressures. We have warned that public safety cannot be maintained indefinitely through overtime, goodwill, and the personal sacrifices of our members.”

The union’s statement says members have been warning about staffing shortages, which have “reached critical levels in many areas of the organization.”

It continues, “Overtime shifts are routinely going unfilled. Members are experiencing increasing fatigue and burnout. Development opportunities are being cancelled because of staffing shortages. Wellness resources are strained. Morale continues to deteriorate. Many members no longer believe the organization has the staffing, resources, or operational support necessary to sustain the current pace of transition safely and effectively. None of these concerns are new.”

The memo suggests Lipinski’s removal could be a politically motivated move by Locke.

“Chief Lipinski did not create the political instability surrounding Surrey policing. He did not create the funding shortfalls. He did not create the staffing shortages. In fact, many of the concerns our members have today are concerns he repeatedly raised himself.”

It adds, “Many members will inevitably view this as an attempt to hold one individual responsible for broader failures in governance, resourcing, planning, and political decision-making. This perception will only be strengthened by the fact that these reports come shortly after the province declined to renew the previous Police Board and after years of political interference, uncertainty, and instability surrounding policing in Surrey.”

The memo says the union will push for a new chief who serves its members and the public, and not just City Hall.

Locke has had a contentious relationship with Lipinski and the SPS over the years.

While addressing the media last month following a double deadly shooting, Locke was brief with words of praise.

“I will say that the police chief has moved the agenda along, in terms of creating a Surrey Police Service, so I’ll leave it at that,” she said.

In February, the SPS received $47 million less than its union had hoped for in this year’s budget after the city said it underspent the previous year.

The board had asked for $331.5 million for 2026.

The union memo notes the reduction.

“Our members see the consequences of those decisions every day. Frontline officers, civilian professionals, supervisors, investigators, trainers, and support staff are being asked to do more with less while continuing to meet the expectations of one of Canada’s largest and fastest-growing cities.”

In a statement Tuesday, Surrey City Coun. Linda Annis, who’s among Locke’s competition for the October mayoral election, says Lipinski’s removal raises concerns about Locke, who won the last civic election in 2022 on a campaign to keep the RCMP in power.

“The mayor’s opposition to the Surrey Police Service is well known,” said Annis.

“And you only have to look back at her four-year term to see how much time, effort and money she has put into ending the transition and getting rid of our local police service…The mayor has treated the SPS like a political football, and that has to be hard on the men and women of our police department.”

Annis tells 1130 NewsRadio it’s a “slap in the face” to police.

“When the mayor got elected, the first thing she did, of course, was say that she didn’t want the Surrey Police Service,” Annis claimed.

“Then she instructed the Surrey Police Service to stop hiring new officers. Then she took the provincial government to court and just a few months ago she cut the police budget by $47 million when we were really in a crisis here in Surrey. So she has not been supportive — in the way that she needs to be — of the police chief. “

Annis says Lipinski has done an “incredibly good job,” and faced many challenges.

“Given the opportunity, he would’ve built an incredible police force for the city of Surrey.”

She says whoever succeeds Lipinski will be in the same situation.

“With the number of gang shootings and the number of extortions that we’ve been having in Surrey, our police chief, no matter who it is, needs every possible tool at his or her disposal.”

Lipinski was hired in November 2020 and came with more than four decades of experience on the job.

During his tenure, the city has been dealing with a high-profile extortion crisis.

1130 NewsRadio has reached out to the Surrey Police Board and the mayor’s office for comment.

You can watch CityNews 24/7 live or listen live to 1130 NewsRadio Vancouver to keep up to date with this story. You can also subscribe to breaking news alerts sent directly to your inbox.