Surrey Police Union decries mayor’s ‘titanic cost’ claim

The Surrey Police Union says Mayor Brenda Locke is misleading the public with one of her claims about the cost of the policing transition.

In a release Thursday, the SPU said it disagrees with Locke’s recent statements to the public.

Locke spoke to reporters Wednesday, saying she’s concerned “the Province has been hiding titanic level costs from Surrey taxpayers,”

A statement by the City of Surrey said a move to a two-person vehicle deployment “would result in an estimated $45 million annual incremental cost over the RCMP”

But the Surrey Police Union says the mayor and the city do not have their facts straight.

“Contrary to Mayor Locke’s assertions, the implementation of two-person patrol cars does not increase policing costs,” the union stated. “In fact, it represents a strategic move towards increased service delivery for the community.”

The union claimed that two-person vehicle deployment will better apply two officers when necessary to “critical incidents,” which account for 40 per cent of the calls they receive.

The SPU said having two officers present can also help deescalate situations and reduce the need for physical intervention.

Finally, union President Rick Stewart directly addressed the mayor’s concern for cost.

He called her assertions “misleading,” saying that in a two-person vehicle deployment system, the same number of officers would respond to any call, only in fewer vehicles.