Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke says the B次元官网网址渓eadership ballB次元官网网址� is now in the provincial governmentB次元官网网址檚 court concerning the cityB次元官网网址檚 policing transition after council peppered Chief Constable Norm Lipinski of the Surrey Police Service and Assistant Commissioner Brian Edwards of the Surrey RCMP with roughly an hourB次元官网网址檚 worth of questions about its current state on Monday night.

B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檝e heard today that there is much to be done to get the framework and all the legal agreements in place,B次元官网网址� Locke said, summing up the hour. B次元官网网址淭he city has no authority to do any of that. We cannot just make up the authority, we donB次元官网网址檛 have that right. The province needs to make sure that there is a plan, that there is a path forward.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址淭his council has done everything asked of us and within our authority to follow through on our obligation to determine the policing model for our city,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淢uch of the issue that we are dealing with are provincial and federal issues and that has become a lot of the stall.B次元官网网址�

Locke stressed that if the NDP provincial government wants the transition to happen, B次元官网网址渋t needs to step up, show leadership and do their job.B次元官网网址� She said sheB次元官网网址檚 repeatedly asked for the plan, has to date sent six letters to provincial government officials, among them Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth and Premier David Eby, B次元官网网址渁nd seen nothing.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址淚 have also never heard of why we had our plan rejected (to stick with the RCMP),B次元官网网址� Locke added.

A corporate report before Surrey council Monday night (Sept. 11) revealed there is still B次元官网网址渘o clear plan, or any supporting documents in place, to continue a transitionB次元官网网址� to the SPS from the Surrey RCMP as this cityB次元官网网址檚 police of jurisdiction.

B次元官网网址淎s a result, there remains a great deal of uncertainty regarding how a transition to SPS would be completed,B次元官网网址� the report reads.

The corporate report before council concludes that although Farnworth has directed the City of Surrey to forge ahead with the SPS, B次元官网网址渙utstanding challenges remainB次元官网网址� and development of a B次元官网网址渃omprehensive framework and planning documents is necessary for any transition to SPS.B次元官网网址�

On July 19 Farnworth ordered city council to carry on with the transition to the Surrey Police Service from the Surrey RCMP, despite council having voted 6-3 on Dec. 12 to maintain the RCMP as the cityB次元官网网址檚 police of jurisdiction.

Farnworth then appointed Jessica McDonald as the provinceB次元官网网址檚 Strategic Implementation Advisor to oversee the transition. In August, Chris Donnelly, a public affairs officer for the Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General, told the Now-Leader that McDonald B次元官网网址渋s unavailable for interviewsB次元官网网址� and Donnelly emailed a statement attributable to the ministry that B次元官网网址淭he work by the new Strategic Implementation Advisor to advance the transition is well underway,B次元官网网址� and that the ministry B次元官网网址渨ill continue to keep stakeholders informed as the work progresses.B次元官网网址�

MondayB次元官网网址檚 corporate report B次元官网网址� by Terry Waterhouse, general manager of community services, Kam Grewal, general manager of finance, and Joey Brar, acting general manager of corporate services B次元官网网址� notes that the continued deployment of SPS officers into the Surrey RCMP will require another extension of an assignment agreement past Sept. 30 and the $150 million Farnworth promised from the provincial government to help with costs related to the transition B次元官网网址渋s likely not sufficient to cover anticipated costs.B次元官网网址�

Grewal told council Monday that none of that $150 million has yet been allocated to the City of Surrey. B次元官网网址淚n fact I would take a step back and say the city has not received any funding from the province in relation to the transition,B次元官网网址� Grewal said. B次元官网网址淚 am aware of the public announcement, the public pledge of $150 million which I have on many occasions have said is not enough to cover the damages done to the city both historically and a go-forward basis. As of now, itB次元官网网址檚 all hypothetical.B次元官网网址�

The corporate report notes B次元官网网址渙utstanding challenges include, but are not limited to, the lack of a joint HR Plan to guide deployments and demobilization, the Assignment Agreement needs to be extended beyond September 2023, and the lack of legal frameworks to support RCMP Members serving under a municipal police department command.B次元官网网址�

Moreover, new governance and project management structures must also be established.

B次元官网网址淭here is also a need to confirm plans for asset transfer or sharing, occupancy of facilities, and file and exhibit transfer, among others,B次元官网网址� the report reads.

Coun. Rob Stutt asked Edwards where the transition is at in following a plan, and given that progress, when the SPS will be in the position to become SurreyB次元官网网址檚 police of jurisdiction.

B次元官网网址淎t this point in time we do not have a plan that is being followed,B次元官网网址� Edwards replied. B次元官网网址淎 plan is going to have to be developed between the parties, and the architecture to build that plan is going to need to be developed. So for me, it is impossible to provide you with a timeline.B次元官网网址�

Edwards said 233 SPS officers were either deployed or set to be deployed to the Surrey RCMP but currently there are B次元官网网址渁pproximately 179B次元官网网址� and 38 Surrey Mounties have left the RCMP to join the SPS.

Lipinski said about 45 per cent of the frontline right now are SPS people. Asked how many officers he thinks he actually needs, Lipinski replied he hasnB次元官网网址檛 B次元官网网址渄etermined that specifically.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址淩ight now, our planning prior to the election (Oct. 15, 2022) was to look at 734, which is what is authorized to Surrey right now. So as we move forward 734 plus 25, I know thatB次元官网网址檚 been in the budget for Surrey detachment, that would be the number IB次元官网网址檇 be looking at but thereB次元官网网址檚 still some planning that needs to take place.B次元官网网址�

Stutt asked Lipinski, B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 going to ask you, sir, does the SPS have a plan to move forward?B次元官网网址�

Lipinski replied that for the publicB次元官网网址檚 benefit itB次元官网网址檚 important to give context. B次元官网网址淭wo and a half years when I started this, there was a plan B次元官网网址� there was an HR plan, there was an assignment agreement which is an agreement between ourselves and the RCMP, but letB次元官网网址檚 stick with the HR plan,B次元官网网址� he said, which had 35 SPS officers being deployed every second month. B次元官网网址淎nd so when the election happened we put a pause on that, and it was agreed by three levels of government so we missed out on a number of cohorts. And then the HR plan expired May 31. And when we were looking ahead at that time we did look at all the things we would want to bring to Surrey and we have in fact started researching some of that. ThereB次元官网网址檚 no need to bring it forward to the public at this time because we are not police of jurisdiction. When we get there, we will bring that forward.B次元官网网址�

Stutt asked Lipinski B次元官网网址淚s there a plan or not? ItB次元官网网址檚 a yes or no question.B次元官网网址� Lipinski said B次元官网网址淲e are in the beginnings of putting together a plan for 2024. I believe that weB次元官网网址檒l be moving forward rather quickly here.B次元官网网址�

He said that 11 more SPS officers were set to B次元官网网址済o over to the front lineB次元官网网址� on Tuesday morning.

Edwards said there is significant work to be done as there is no plan for transfer of assets (ie. patrol cars), a legal framework outside of an MOU, no plan for information management, information technology, no plan for the transfer of hundreds of thousands of files, and no plan for exhibits. Given the priority of moving officers to the frontline, he said, B次元官网网址淲e are waiting and working with SPS for a plan to get us to Dec. 31. We cannot piecemeal this, we have to do a fulsome plan.B次元官网网址�

Meantime, Coun. Linda Annis noted that having two police departments is costing Surrey taxpayers $266,000 per day. She called the report B次元官网网址渄isappointing because it reflects a serious lack of urgency and no political enthusiasm or leadership to get the transition done quickly.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址淚 get it, the mayor wanted to keep the RCMP, but that ship has sailed,B次元官网网址� Annis stated in a press release Monday, charging that Mayor Brenda Locke and council B次元官网网址渘eed to step upB次元官网网址� and instruct city staff and the SPS B次元官网网址渢o get on with completing the transition as quickly as possible.B次元官网网址�

Also on Monday, Sept. 11 a press release issued by the SPS bid welcome to its fifth class of recruits. On Sept. 8th, the SPS officially welcomed seven new recruit constables, who will now begin their municipal police officer training at the Justice Institute of British Columbia (JIBC).

B次元官网网址淭his group consists of four females and three males, ranging in age from 25 to 38 years of age,B次元官网网址� the press release states. B次元官网网址淎ll the recruits have a connection to Surrey B次元官网网址� either as residents or through past employment, as well as extensive volunteering experience. They also reflect the diversity of the community they will serve, with different cultural backgrounds and language skills.B次元官网网址�

tom.zytaruk@surreynowleader.com
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