The Province has delivered a recommendation that the City of Surrey continue with the Surrey Policing Transition, which would see the Surrey Police Service replace the RCMP as the police agency of jurisdiction. The City has also been offered short-term provincial funding to offset the annual cost difference between the Surrey RCMP and Surrey Police Service.
This non-binding recommendation comes approximately six months after Surrey City Council voted to reverse the Surrey Policing Transition, and retain the RCMP as its police force. The City subsequently submitted a comprehensive plan to the Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General, outlining how it planned to complete this work and re-staff its RCMP detachment.
As part of the Province’s recommendation, the Director of Police Services has advised that the Minister not support the City of Surrey’s decision and comprehensive plan unless the following conditions are met:
- Appointment of a City of Surrey Strategic Implementation Advisory;
- Development of a human resources plans that ensure Surrey Police Service officer deployment while the Surrey RCMP is being re-staffed;
- Ensuring that re-staffing of the Surrey RCMP does not take priority over other RCMP vacancies, as well as the 256 Provincial Police Service officers the Province committed to adding as part of the Safer Communities Action Plan;
- Addition of a Senior Contract Officer position at the BC RCMP to ensure this condition is met; and,
- Appointment of an RCMP Senior Transition Leader for the City of Surrey.
Surrey City Council has directed staff to thoroughly review the Province’s report and provide options for consideration.