The Surrey Police Board and Surrey Police Union are taking Mayor Brenda Locke to task for B次元官网网址渆rroneouslyB次元官网网址� claiming the Surrey Police Service is running a deficit budget over $26 million but Locke is standing by that claim.

B次元官网网址淭hey are running a deficit budget, $26 million-plus deficit budget,B次元官网网址� she told the Now-Leader on Jan. 17. B次元官网网址淭hose arenB次元官网网址檛 my numbers, those are the numbers we get from our accounting department at city hall. They have been told about it, they know about it, the SPS know about it. I told them in August, B次元官网网址渟top spending, stop hiring. They didnB次元官网网址檛. So then we told them again in December, no more hires. And they went ahead and hired anyway.B次元官网网址�

The City of Surrey issued a statement from Locke on Jan. 16 that states council in early 2023 approved the SPS budget at $48.7 million. B次元官网网址淎t the end of 2023, SPS had spent $75.4M, resulting in a massive budget overrun of $26.7M. Put another way, the SPSB次元官网网址檚 out of control spending in 2023 was 55 per cent higher than what they were approved to spend,B次元官网网址� Locke said.

B次元官网网址淩ather than working within the budget that was approved by the City, SPS made expensive hires that it could not afford, including up to 100 people on payroll that are not deployed on the frontline. In other words, Surrey taxpayers are paying for SPS officers that are not deployed to keep Surrey safe. The SPS has continued its unauthorized hiring in 2024.B次元官网网址�

The SPB then issued its own press release, with a statement from the boardB次元官网网址檚 provincially-appointed administrator Mike Serr that B次元官网网址渃larifies facts on Surrey Police Service costs.B次元官网网址�

The SPB press release says that with Locke as chairwoman of the board it submitted a 2023 budget of $157.6 million to the city and during 2023, B次元官网网址渙n the basis of plans to eliminate the SPS and return to the RCMP, the city reduced this budget to $48.8 million for 2023 B次元官网网址� a cut of 70 per cent.

B次元官网网址淲ith the decision by Minister Farnworth in July 2023, and the subsequent amendments to the Police Act that require the transition to be completed, Surrey Police Service officials worked with city officials to arrive at a budget of $75 million to carry SPS through to the end of 2023,B次元官网网址� Serr is quoted in the press release. B次元官网网址淐ontinuing her fight to ignore the provincial decision and requirements of the new Police Act, the mayor refused to provide formal approval of the agreed to budget and is now misrepresenting this as B次元官网网址榦verspendingB次元官网网址� in relation to her 70 per cent cut. Regardless of this cut, SPS will close the year under the $75 million budget.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址淭he transition is legally bound to continue,B次元官网网址� he added. B次元官网网址淭his means that the SPS budget will continue to increase, as the RCMP detachmentB次元官网网址檚 budget needs will decrease. It is inappropriate to suggest that the continued hires and associated budget is a burden on taxpayers, just as it is unfair to refuse to pay these officers.B次元官网网址�

Rick Stewart, president of the Surrey Police Union, also released a statement on Jan. 16 B次元官网网址渇ollowing budget misinformation released by Mayor Brenda Locke earlier today.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址淭he Surrey Police Union (SPU) is expressing significant concern over the dissemination of inaccurate information by Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke that is being used to sow confusion among residents and undermine the credibility of Surrey Police Service (SPS), the Surrey Police Board, and our dedicated members,B次元官网网址� Stewart charged.

Stewart said the 2023 policing budget for Surrey was B次元官网网址渋nitially formulated under the assumptionB次元官网网址� the Surrey RCMP would remain the cityB次元官网网址檚 police of jurisdiction, with the SPS discontinuing its operations by July 2023. B次元官网网址淐onsequently, SPS operated with an incomplete budget, covering approximately half of the fiscal year. Following Minister FarnworthB次元官网网址檚 decision to proceed with the policing transition, the City of Surrey refused to adjust the budget to reflect staffing and transition planning.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址淚t is patently unfair of Mayor Locke to grossly underfund SPS and then criticize for running a deficit when the total budgeted amount for policing is in surplus,B次元官网网址� Stewart charged.

Coun. Linda Annis also weighed in with a press release issued Jan. 17 in which she charges that Locke, by not moving ahead with the revised SPS budget, B次元官网网址渃reated an accounting issue on paper.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址淏ecause council did not move ahead with the revised SPS budget, the third quarter showed the RCMP had a positive variance of some $27 million, while the SPS had a negative variance of $23.4 million. Meanwhile, the total police budget showed a third quarter positive overall variance of nearly $4 million. The fact is that as the budget for the SPS grows, the budget for the RCMP has to be reduced.B次元官网网址�