By Canadian Press

Additional information required as B.C. government mulls Surrey police transition

Jan 26, 2023 | 3:36 PM

VICTORIA — British Columbia’s public safety minister says his government needs to know more before it decides on the “unprecedented” request to reverse a change from municipal policing in Surrey in a decision that affects the whole province.

A statement from Mike Farnworth says staff have reviewed submissions from those involved in the transition, and the director of police services has determined additional information is required.

Farnworth says the policing transition in Surrey is complex, requiring a full and in-depth analysis before a decision is made, as stability in policing is fundamental to ensuring public safety. 

The transition was thrown into disarray by the election of Mayor Brenda Locke last fall, who campaigned on maintaining the RCMP after her predecessor, Doug McCallum, initiated plans to scrap the Mounties in favour of a municipal force.

Surrey city council voted in December to send a plan to Farnworth requesting to keep the RCMP, saying that would save $235 million over five years.

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The Surrey Police Service followed with its own report calling on Farnworth to reject the plan, saying halting the transition would mean firing 375 employees, dissolving two police unions and accepting “unrecoverable” costs of $107 million.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 24, 2023.

The Canadian Press