Council Votes to Move Ahead in Re-Establishing RCMP as Police of Jurisdiction in Surrey

Surrey, BC – At tonight’s Regular Council meeting, City Council approved maintaining the RCMP as Police of Jurisdiction in Surrey. Council’s endorsement of this option will have staff prepare a plan that will be forwarded to the Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General upon Council approval.

“It is time to get beyond the back and forth of policing in Surrey and bring transparency to the process,” said Mayor Brenda Locke. “Tonight’s vote not only affirms my promise to restore Surrey RCMP as Police of Jurisdiction, but it will finally reveal the costs of the transition, which will be made available to the public. Staff will now be working diligently on a report as requested by the Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General for final approval. As I have said, the plan will be people-centric, which means no SPS officer or civilian staff will be left behind. Regardless of badge, we all share the common goal of keeping Surrey and its citizens safe.”

The plan to re-establish Surrey RCMP will address a number of key elements, including the following.

• Outline a plan for staffing Surrey RCMP to a full compliment of 734 officers.
• Outline a process to fulfil City HR obligations to impacted civilian staff and any support required for the Board to manage human resources implications for Board employees.
• Prepare planning for future increases for Surrey RCMP members to keep pace with population growth and increased calls for service.
• Prepare a plan to repurpose or otherwise dispose of equipment (vehicles, IT, use of force equipment etc.) and other assets purchased to date.

On behalf of Council, staff will be issuing a letter to the Surrey Police Board to pause all new hiring and expenditures pending further Council direction.

For more information, the Police Transition Update Corporate Report can be read here.