Surrey city council cast an historic vote Monday night on the next course of action for Surrey害羞草研究所檚 embattled policing transition. On a 5-4 vote, council decided to maintain the Surrey RCMP as this city害羞草研究所檚 police of jurisdiction instead of forging ahead with the Surrey Police Service.

City staff will now prepare a plan for Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General Mike Farnworth害羞草研究所檚 approval to that end, as well as issue a letter on council害羞草研究所檚 behalf to the Surrey Police Board 害羞草研究所渢o pause all new hiring and expenditures pending further Council direction.害羞草研究所�

Mayor Brenda Locke and her Surrey Connect five-member majority campaigned on keeping the RCMP.

She and councillors Harry Bains, Rob Stutt, Pardeep Kooner and Gordon Hepner voted in favour, while Safe Surrey Coalition councillors Doug Elford and Mandeep Nagra voted against keeping the RCMP as did Surrey First councillors Mike Bose and Linda Annis.

Annis moved an amendment toward staging a referendum, but her amendment was defeated.

害羞草研究所淲e have no idea where we害羞草研究所檙e at with this transition, there害羞草研究所檚 been very little public consultation,害羞草研究所� Annis said. 害羞草研究所淲e have no idea what the cost would be if we were to revert back to the RCMP. This is the largest issue that probably any single city council will ever make.害羞草研究所�

害羞草研究所淚 think there害羞草研究所檚 absolutely nothing wrong with engaging with the public and asking for their opinion,害羞草研究所� Annis said. Surrey Connect claimed during the election campaign that sticking with the RCMP would save taxpayers $520M over the next four years.

Coun. Mike Bose said having a referendum, 害羞草研究所渁s expensive and as time-consuming as it would be,害羞草研究所� would 害羞草研究所渃reate that transparency and openness that we害羞草研究所檝e all run on.害羞草研究所�

Two options were before council. The second option, rendered moot after this vote, was to continue the transition to the Surrey Police Service.

Surrey First issued a press release before the meeting calling for a referendum, in which Annis said, 害羞草研究所淭he nine of us elected to council on October 15 should not be making this final decision.害羞草研究所�

Annis wrote a letter to Farnworth urging him to call on the City of Surrey to hold a public referendum on the policing question, arguing that 害羞草研究所渢his costly back-and-forth will remain a political football unless the voters of Surrey are finally allowed to decide this issue.害羞草研究所�

Nagra urged to 害羞草研究所済et the numbers out害羞草研究所� from the Surrey Police Board. 害羞草研究所淩ight now we don害羞草研究所檛 have any numbers,害羞草研究所� he said. 害羞草研究所淧lease make a wise decision, let害羞草研究所檚 get all the numbers before we vote on this.害羞草研究所�

害羞草研究所淚害羞草研究所檓 not saying, you know, that the SPS is better than RCMP or RCMP is better than SPS, all we害羞草研究所檙e saying is let害羞草研究所檚 look at the numbers one more time before we make any decisions.害羞草研究所�

Elford said going 害羞草研究所渂ack in time to untransition to the RCMP害羞草研究所� would once again render Surrey an 害羞草研究所渦nderpoliced city.害羞草研究所� The Newton resident said he害羞草研究所檚 been personally victimized under the RCMP害羞草研究所檚 watch, including having 19 bikes stolen, a 害羞草研究所渕eth-crazed bunch of youths smash windows out of my brand-new car and threaten my life in my driveway, only for them to come back and smash out the window of my rental car the next day.

害羞草研究所淒o I want to wake up in the middle of the night to chase a burglar out of my living room?害羞草研究所� Elford said. 害羞草研究所淚 do not want to go back to a police force that is undermanned and continues to be undermanned to this day.害羞草研究所�

In response, Coun. Rob Stutt said he fails to see how Elford 害羞草研究所渉as provided any proof that a change of the policing that we害羞草研究所檝e had for the last 70 years would improve by a new police force.害羞草研究所�

害羞草研究所淲e hear let害羞草研究所檚 look at the numbers one more time. I would like to look at the numbers one time. We haven害羞草研究所檛 seen the numbers yet,害羞草研究所� Stutt noted. 害羞草研究所淭hat害羞草研究所檚 the issue.害羞草研究所�

Coun. Gordon Hepner asked city staff if the SPS has revealed to staff its capital expenditure plan for the transition. Finance manager Kam Grewal replied that 害羞草研究所渙ver the course of time staff have worked with SPS, there have been communications, but in relation to recent times and an updated capital plan, that information hasn害羞草研究所檛 yet been solidified or finalized in terms of what does that plan look like rolling out to completion of transition.害羞草研究所�

Locke also weighed in.

害羞草研究所淔irst of all, Councillor Elford, with all due respect you consistently voted against additional staffing to add more boots on the ground and we did not see that in the previous four years,害羞草研究所� she said. She added Annis is getting ahead of herself in terms of a referendum because the motion before council Monday was to maintain the RCMP as the police of jurisdiction and send a plan to Farnworth.

害羞草研究所淭hey are that now,害羞草研究所� Locke said. 害羞草研究所淲e are only talking about asking staff to assist us in preparing a report, in fact, a report that should have been prepared at the very beginning of this almost four years ago.害羞草研究所�

Meantime, the Surrey Police Union last week said 275 of 293 Surrey Police Service officers signed a pledge saying they have no intention of joining the 害羞草研究所渢oxic害羞草研究所� RCMP if the process to reverse the SPS policing transition to keep the Surrey RCMP as the city害羞草研究所檚 police of jurisdiction goes ahead.

The Surrey Police Union pledge, released Nov. 10, says 94 per cent of its members have declared 害羞草研究所淣o Intention害羞草研究所� of joining the RCMP if the SPS ceases to exist.

Locke on election night Oct. 15 said in her victory speech that she and her team have a 害羞草研究所済reat plan害羞草研究所� to keep the Surrey RCMP as the city害羞草研究所檚 police of jurisdiction, adding, 害羞草研究所淲e will not leave any of the SPS officers behind, we will pick them up.害羞草研究所� She reiterated this in her inauguration speech on Nov. 7, at city hall.

SPU President Rick Stewart said the officers 害羞草研究所渧oluntarily signed this declaration because of a number of specific reasons related to the RCMP, and as such, Mayor Locke害羞草研究所檚 hiring plan shows no regard for the will of our members害羞草研究所� and 害羞草研究所渢he attraction of working for a Surrey-based municipal police force remains as one of the main factors behind our successful recruitment thus far.害羞草研究所�

Locke expressed dismay.

害羞草研究所淚 would tell you that quite frankly I害羞草研究所檓 disappointed with this tactic that the SPS union has taken and as I said in my statement, this plan will be people-centric.

害羞草研究所淭here are opportunities with the RCMP and so people will make their decisions moving forward so I think all that will take on whatever role it takes on later on,害羞草研究所� Locke told the Now-Leader. 害羞草研究所淚t害羞草研究所檚 a new day for Surrey and we害羞草研究所檙e going to do exactly what the voter had asked and so we害羞草研究所檝e moving forward on that. But you know, we害羞草研究所檝e got to get beyond the back-and-forth and that害羞草研究所檚 important. I know we all want to have a shared goal.害羞草研究所�

That goal, she said, is keeping residents safe.

Brian Sauv茅, president of the National Police Federation, said policing 害羞草研究所渟hould not be politicized.

害羞草研究所淭he police transition in Surrey has been a polarizing issue. However, the members of the Surrey RCMP have shown dedication and commitment throughout, and have been working seamlessly with their SPS colleagues which is a testament to their professionalism.害羞草研究所�

On the matter of council instructing City of Surrey staff to in turn instruct the Surrey Police Board to cease hiring and spending, the board害羞草研究所檚 executive director Melissa Granum notes that under the Police Act the provincial government has authority over the board and no city council can direct the police 害羞草研究所渨ith respect to their budget and their hiring.害羞草研究所�

Granum says the board has 害羞草研究所渆very intention害羞草研究所� of 害羞草研究所渓ooking to the province for guidance on next steps and advice害羞草研究所� and 害羞草研究所渋t害羞草研究所檚 also important to understand that the hiring that害羞草研究所檚 occurring right now is completed and that takes us into January of next year. So we have new police recruits for the police academy and we have police officers hired to deploy in January.害羞草研究所�

Those hires, she said, have been completed.

害羞草研究所淪o any stoppage to hiring would have a ripple effect into the spring,害羞草研究所� Granum said. 害羞草研究所淚t害羞草研究所檚 really, really important to understand is that the province has given us direction to continue deploying police officers and to continue hiring. That害羞草研究所檚 the direction from the province itself.害羞草研究所�

This, Granum explains, overrides what council decided Monday night 害羞草研究所渨ith our approved budget, yes.害羞草研究所�

害羞草研究所淭he bottom line is hiring these police officers that we害羞草研究所檝e already given employment offers to and who害羞草研究所檝e already given notice to their previous employers, is Surrey needs those police resources at the front line, they need those police resources to be taking calls for service in Surrey.害羞草研究所�

So it害羞草研究所檚 the province that has the say, not city council at this point, within the 2022 budget. 害羞草研究所淭hat害羞草研究所檚 something really important as well is council ultimately approves our annual budgets so we害羞草研究所檒l be submitting a budget for next year, and we害羞草研究所檒l have to determine next steps once council makes a decision on the budget for next year.害羞草研究所�

That said, Granum notes 害羞草研究所渋t would be ideal害羞草研究所� for Farnworth to make his decision 害羞草研究所渋n a timely manner害羞草研究所� because council needs to plan its budget and 害羞草研究所渋t needs to understand which direction it害羞草研究所檚 going.害羞草研究所�

害羞草研究所淎t the end of the day, the most important thing obviously for everybody involved is public safety and ensuring that we have enough police officers working in the city. There害羞草研究所檚 a common goal there.害羞草研究所�

tom.zytaruk@surreynowleader.com
Like us on Follow us on   and follow Tom on