Surrey, B.C. council votes to halt transition from RCMP to municipal police

Surrey's new mayor and council voted to keep the RCMP as its police forceand freeze hiring and spending by the fledgling Surrey Police Service(SPS)Monday,a majorre-thinkaboutthe future direction of law enforcementin the city.

The vote followed councilreceiving aneight-page report compiled by three city general managers askingMayor Brenda Locke and eight councillors to endorse one of two options: either go forward with the plan to realize the SPSor stick with the RCMP.

They choose the latter in a five-to-four vote.

Locke defeated former mayor Doug McCallumafter campaigning in part against his plan to establish an independent municipal force, saying she would pull the plug on work done so far to establish the SPS and stick with the RCMP.

On Monday, she tookconcrete action on that promise. Locke and her Surrey Connect slate of councillors hold five of nine seats on council.

"It is time to get beyond the back and forth of policing in Surrey and bring transparency to the process,"Locke said in a statement.

"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."

The report emphasizeda need to make a decision sooner rather than later.

"Timeliness is a priority to minimize uncertainty for impacted staff and the community as a whole," the report says.

The transition to an independent, municipal force for Surreywas initiated by a council motion in November 2018, shortly after McCallum's election to a fourth term as mayor. In July 2020, the province established the Surrey Police Board and in August 2020, the board created the SPS.

The option selected by council calls for Surrey tomaintain the RCMP as police of jurisdiction, and direct staff to prepare a plan to "ramp-down" the SPS.

That plan willneed to be endorsed by council and then senttoMinister of Public Safety Mike Farnworth who is alsosolicitor generalfor approval.

Staff are also to send a letter on council's behalfto the Surrey Police Board (SPB) to"pauseall new hiring and expenditurespending further Council direction."

$21M policing budget shortfall

Currently, 154 SPS officers are working under the command of the RCMP as frontline officers in the city at part of the transition process.

The transition plan would have 295 SPS officers deployed by May 2023, with deployments of up to 35 members every two months.

The RCMP is contracted to provide 734 officers for the city, according to the report.

The report says in 2022 the city will spend $195 million on policing in the city, broken down to $72.5 million for SPS, $96.7 million for RCMP and $25.6 million for police support services.

Itdoesnot provide a transition cost estimate.

But the report saysthere will be a policing budget shortfall by the end of year of nearly $21 million due to "a higher than anticipated number of SPS members that are notdeployed into frontline policing. As a result, the city is paying for administrative overhead intwo police agencies."

Sticking with the RCMP would require a plan to increase the number of Mounties available to the city as its population grows, how to repurpose or dispose of SPS assets like vehicles, and end contracts, agreements or leases in place for equipment and facilities.

Information related to Option 2which would continuewith the transition to the SPSincludes the need to transition 400 police support services staff from the city to the SPS Board, finalizeinformation management and information technology systems, and transferthe control of facilities from the RCMP to the SPS.

In a Monday afternoon statement, the SPBand SPS said the staff report lacks "comprehensive information on SPS staffing levels or the financial implications associated with reversing the transition."

The statement disputes the figure of 154 officers, adding there are a further 161 officers "waiting for deployment" or working in important administrative roles.

It also warns the city has already invested over $108 million into the transition and faces "the prospect of a massive severance liability" amounting to up to $81.5 million.

"Reversing the transition would result in an estimated $188.5 million loss of investment into SPS, which is approximately six months away from being operationally ready to become the police of jurisdiction," the board and service claimed.

Too far gone? Referendum?

Speaking ahead of Monday's meeting, Coun. Doug Elford, of former Mayor Doug McCallum's Safe Surrey Coalition which spearheaded the transition, says the process is too far along.

He's hopeful Farnworth will agree.

"I can not see the government going back on this," Elford said. "We've invested too much money, time and effort into getting to this point and we're almost there.

"I'm hopeful that we can continue on forward with this change in the model because it's definitely needed for a city the size of Surrey."

Coun. Linda Annis with the Surrey First slate, said the choice ought to be put to citizens in a referendum.

"It's been a hugely controversial topic," Annis told Stephen Quinn, the host of CBC'sThe Early Edition. "We need to be decisive in terms of where we're going with this and I think the best way to do that is have a referendum."

She attempted to amend Monday'smotion to call for a referendum,but it did not pass.