The Surrey Police Service has submitted two stories that it hopes will persuade the province to stay to town’s policing transition away from the RCMP.
B.C. Solicitor Basic Mike Farnworth will determine the destiny of the SPS in early 2023 after Surrey’s recently-elected mayor and council voted to keep the RCMP.
For the reason that province has the ultimate say, the SPS submitted a pair of stories to decision-makers on Thursday detailing how far alongside the transition is, and its rationale for carrying on with it.
“It is approach too far down the street to reverse,” mentioned SPS Chief Norm Lipinski.
Among the many two stories is the publicly accessible Surrey Police Service: The Future of Public Safety in Surrey, which claims it is in the perfect curiosity of the group to proceed on the present path.
It notes that the SPS has already employed 375 workers, lots of whom have moved their households to the group from different elements of Canada. Officers are already within the subject and firing them would imply dissolving two unions which have already been shaped, which might doubtless be pricey and spark grievances, it provides.
In all, $107 million has been spent on the SPS, and dissolution would value an estimated $81 million in severances, the report says.
It additionally factors out the SPS has had no points recruiting, with extra officers because of enter coaching applications in January. It claims it is had 2,500 functions, whereas noting the RCMP has trouble recruiting new officers.
“It might be a internet achieve for policing in B.C.,” mentioned Lipinski, noting that RCMP officers who do not be part of the service will be deployed to different elements of the nation.
“We’re one of many few main cities in Canada that has no issues recruiting,” he mentioned.
The second report submitted to the province, titled Surrey Police Service Policing Transition Progress Report, has not been made public as a result of it comprises detailed operational and personnel info, the SPS says.
Neighborhood divided
The policing debate has been ongoing for years, with the municipal police power transition sparked by town’s earlier mayor Doug McCallum.
He was defeated within the Octoner elections by present Brenda Locke, who campaigned on ending the transition and maintaining the RCMP in Surrey.
She argued that the transition is not previous the purpose of no return, as greater than 75 per cent of on-duty officers in Surrey are nonetheless with the RCMP, and the RCMP nonetheless retain command of forces and management of infrastructure.
However some group leaders have instructed a referendum to make sure that Surrey residents are literally in favour of this. Whereas Locke campaigned closely on her promise to maintain the RCMP in Surrey, she was elected with simply 28 per cent of the vote.
Surrey is the most important metropolis in Canada that continues to be beneath RCMP jurisdiction, with each different main metropolis within the nation exterior B.C. beneath native police management or a part of a regional or provincial police service.
The SPS says it may obtain the necessities to turn into the police of jurisdiction for Surrey in 2023, with the full transition full the next yr.
