Province reaches major milestone in Surrey police transition plan
The Province has secured the next milestone in the Surrey police transition plan by setting a target date for the Surrey Police Service to assume policing and law enforcement in the City of Surrey.
The Surrey Police Service (SPS) will become the police of jurisdiction on Nov. 29, 2024, at which time it will be responsible for policing and law enforcement on behalf of the City of Surrey. The B.C. RCMP, as the provincial police service, will remain active in Surrey, providing support to the SPS until the transition is completed, with both agencies working together under a temporary operational co-operation and assistance arrangement.
“The people of Surrey have told us they want this to be over. We agree, and we’re taking action to ensure safety and certainty for people in Surrey,” said Mike Farnworth, Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General. “People’s safety – in Surrey and across the province – is non-negotiable, and today I am setting the target date for the SPS becoming police of jurisdiction in Surrey, the next step toward completing this transition, which the city is required by law to do.”
This date was identified after careful consideration of public safety, the progress completed to date and the significant work underway to finalize the transition. This includes identifying and operationalizing transitional supports to be provided by the B.C. RCMP, approving the SPS’s hiring plan and other steps necessary to ensure the SPS will meet the practical and statutory requirements to become Surrey’s police of jurisdiction.
“Surrey Police Service has been preparing for the change of police of jurisdiction date for over three years, and we continue to work diligently to ensure SPS is prepared to transition into this role on Nov. 29, 2024,” said Norm Lipinski, chief constable of the Surrey Police Service. “We are excited to be building an outstanding municipal police service that is tailor made for Surrey, and we are honoured to serve the residents and business owners of Surrey.”
In the coming weeks, Farnworth will issue a notice to the City of Surrey terminating the Municipal Police Unit Agreement. This is an agreement between the Province and municipalities that have RCMP detachments as their local policing service.
“The B.C. RCMP is proud of its service to British Columbia and is committed to working closely with the Surrey Police Service and the Government of British Columbia to maintain public safety throughout the transition,” said Dwayne McDonald, deputy commissioner of the B.C. RCMP. “I want to thank the RCMP members who have served the City of Surrey with honour.”
On March 27, 2024, provincial and federal officials agreed to a pathway that will allow the B.C. RCMP to provide temporary transitional supports to the SPS for the remainder of the transition period after the SPS assumes jurisdiction as the city’s police service. These transitional supports will be determined and delivered through an operational co-operation and assistance arrangement, and B.C. and federal officials will continue their work finalizing this pathway in collaboration with the SPS and the B.C. RCMP.
While the RCMP will continue to work collaboratively through the transition, when Surrey’s agreement is terminated and the SPS becomes the police of jurisdiction, the Surrey RCMP will cease providing municipal policing services. From this point forward, any required RCMP support and assistance will be provided by the RCMP’s B.C. provincial police service.
Quick Facts:
- In January 2024, the City of Surrey asked the Province to negotiate an agreement to help it complete the transition to the SPS, resolve the conflict, and provide certainty and support the people of Surrey.
- Brenda Locke, mayor of Surrey, and the city council rejected an agreement that included a 10-year financial commitment:
- $150 million over five years, plus added assurance that if SPS officers were more expensive than RCMP officers in 2029, the Province would cover the difference every year for another five years to 2034 for as much as $20 million per year.
- Although the agreement was rejected, the Province will use the $150 million to support the transition directly until it is completed.
Learn More:
To read the Police Amendment Act 2023, visit:
https://www.leg.bc.ca/content/data%20-%20ldp/Pages/42nd4th/3rd_read/PDF/gov36-3.pdf
For more information about B.C. legislation, visit: https://strongerbc.gov.bc.ca/Legislation