Explainer: Surrey Police Service to become the city’s new police jurisdiction by November
The City of Surrey finally came to an agreement with the provincial government, accepting $250 million in financial support
The RCMP have served the City of Surrey for more than 70 years. (File photo)
The City of Surrey has finally reached the end of its years-long police force feud.
From 2018 to earlier this year, a continuous back-and-forth dialogue between opposing mayoral leaders Doug McCallum and Brenda Locke about the RCMP’s place in Surrey has inhibited any real progress to occur over the years.
Now, a decision has been made to officially move forward with a new police force — the Surrey Police Service (SPS) — with financial aid from the provincial government, meaning the RCMP will no longer have jurisdiction over Surrey.
Surrey is considered one of the fastest-growing cities in B.C. The city has a population of approximately 684,485 this year, a figure which is projected to increase to 785,619 residents by 2029 and surpass Vancouver’s population.
Ensuring the safety of Surrey residents now and in the future is one of the major priorities of the city, which led McCallum in 2018 to express the need for a municipal police force as the RCMP’s contract was about to end.
“I believe very strongly that Surrey has outgrown the RCMP,” he said at his first council meeting after his re-election win.
In 2019, provincial Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth approved Surrey’s proposal to begin the transition, and a year later, the city was formally authorized to establish their own municipal task force. Progress was soon made in establishing the new police force. In 2021, they announced having their first 50 officers by the end of the year.
Surrey then elected its current mayor, Locke, in October 2022. Locke pledged to go back to the RCMP, expressing that keeping the RCMP would be less expensive.
Surrey council, headed by Locke, voted 5-4 in favour to scrap the transition during a council meeting in November that year. However, the SPS added another 18 officers, totalling to 205 active officers on the street, and nearly 400 officers and civilian employees were hired by January 2023. This totalled to more than $100 million spent on the transition.
In April 2023, the B.C. government recommended the city continue with the transition and open the floor for financial support. This was just a recommendation and not legally binding, so the city could still go ahead with reverting back to RCMP.
In June that year, Farnworth sent a letter to Locke to make a final decision, but Locke replied that the city will not be “bullied” into making a decision, the Vancouver Sun reported. The city council still voted to discard the SPS despite its progress and the order given by the provincial government.
A month later, Farnworth invoked the Police Act to force Surrey to go ahead with the new police force. After a week of the provincial order, SPS spokesperson Ian McDonald said they cannot move ahead until the city gives a budget, the Vancouver Sun reported. In a leaked letter from Glen Lewis, B.C. director of police services, he expressed concern over the city’s “lack of engagement and action” and for dragging out the transition.
In response to the province’s demands, Locke filed a court challenge in the B.C. Supreme Court in October 2023. A few days later, Premier David Eby said the city’s appeal “will not be successful,” adding his government has made its decision and it will no longer be up for any discussion.
In April, the province offered the City of Surrey $250 million to help with the SPS transition, which Locke turned down saying “the province provided no firm financial commitment that would provide redress to Surrey taxpayers.” A month later, the city lost the court battle against the province.
On July 10, the B.C. government published a news release announcing they reached an agreement with the City of Surrey, allowing the SPS to fully transition as the municipal police force for the city.
This time, Locke accepted the $250 million financial assistance offer, which will provide $30 million per year to help with transition costs until 2029. It will also provide $20 million per year for SPS salary costs if they are more than what the RCMP’s would’ve been from 2029 to 2034.
“The new funds from the Province will help to lessen the financial impact of the transition to Surrey taxpayers,” Locke said in the news release.
“City council fully recognizes the service of the RCMP in Surrey. We express our gratitude for everything Surrey RCMP has done to serve and protect our community for the past 70 years with their exemplary service.”
The SPS will officially become the police of jurisdiction of Surrey on Nov. 29.
