Surrey Police Service marks 1 year amid expansion and extortion concerns
As of mid-January, the city had 16 extortion-related cases
The SPS has assigned 15 of its staff to the BC Extortion Task Force. (File photo)
The Surrey Police Service (SPS) marked one year of its transition to be Surrey’s police jurisdiction on Nov. 29, 2025.
In its first year, the SPS added 119 officers, 51 recruits, and 81 civilian staff. As of January, the SPS has 627 sworn officers and 498 civilian employees.
In 2026, the SPS plans to add at least 150 officers. Its goal is to hire 860 officers by the end of the city’s policing transition from the Surrey RCMP to the SPS.
The SPS oversees policing in the districts Whalley and City Centre, Newton, and South Surrey. This year, the SPS plans to take over policing in the Cloverdale and Port Kells district and then the Guildford and Fleetwood district after.
During the transition, the RCMP’s Surrey Provincial Support Unit (SPOSU) provides temporary policing support in Surrey until the SPS is fully established. The SPS says the transition is more than 75 per cent complete.
“We did a lot of consultations since the SPS came into place — over 600 consultations with community, youth, and focus groups and non-profit organizations,” says Sgt. Jag Khosa, a spokesperson for the SPS.
“Previous surveys that we have done, communities are asking for a lot of work with youth and tackling violent crime — that includes gang violence, extortions, and property crime.”
Surrey has faced heightened issues of extortions and extortion-related crimes. As of Jan. 15, there have been 16 extortion cases in Surrey.
In September, the City of Surrey and SPS launched a $250,000 reward for information leading to convictions in extortion cases. Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke said the reward is one of the largest in Canadian policing history.
The SPS is also part of the BC Extortion Task Force, assigning 15 staff. The task force is RCMP-led and includes police resources from jurisdictions in Abbotsford and Delta, as well as the Metro Vancouver Transit Police, Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit of BC (CFSEU-BC), and the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA).
“We support them with civilian members and police officers as well — and that collaboration is working really well,” Khosa says.
Khosa adds the SPS is working with jurisdictions in Edmonton and Peel, Ont. Both municipalities are facing an increase in extortions and extortion-related crimes.
“They also saw a huge uptick in extortion-related cases and they definitely saw success investigating those incidents. We are in constant communication with them as well,” Khosa says.
The federal government announced a $1-million investment to tackle extortions targeting individuals and businesses in Peel on Jan. 13.
“If you think that local police or jurisdiction can solve extortions on its own, it’s pretty hard. So that’s where you need community support,” Khosa says. “We are in this together, and the community needs to support.”
The SPS has a dedicated extortion tip line at 236-485-5149, open daily from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm.
“I always say these people who extort or shoot someone’s house or business don’t disappear into thin air. They sleep somewhere. They park their car somewhere. They go into someone’s basement. They’re renting homes, or, even if they own a home, they live in these neighbourhoods,” Khosa says.
The SPS also added new technologies, including a drone program, a digital evidence management system, and body-worn cameras pilot projects.
“It’s about collaboration, intelligence gathering, information sharing, and working together.”
