“SPS has received over 900 applications for our 2022 new recruit positions”

BY CHIEF CONSTABLE NORM LIPINSKI

Surrey Police Service

AT the end of July, Surrey Police Service (SPS) will reach another important milestone as we surpass more than 100 SPS officers deployed into policing operations. Our deployed officers are responding to calls for service and working in a number of specialized units to support public safety in Surrey.

In August, we will welcome approximately 25 more experienced officers who will start their onboarding training with SPS in preparation for future deployments. As per the joint SPS-RCMP Human Resources Strategy and Plan, more SPS officers are being deployed every two months as the policing transition from the RCMP to SPS continues to advance.

Our first class of new recruits are currently training at the Justice Institute of BC Police Academy, and in September we will welcome our second class of new recruits. In total, SPS has received over 900 applications for our 2022 new recruit positions.

With such a great response, we have been able to select outstanding, community-minded individuals from diverse backgrounds. In order to further improve our recruiting strategies, we have launched a Recruiting and Diversity Survey to learn more about the challenges and barriers that may exist for some community members in pursuing a career in policing. This survey is open until August 31 and available at www.surreypolice.ca/new-recruits.

In late June, we released our 2021-2022 Report to the Community, which is now available at www.surreypolice.ca/report-community. The theme of this year’s report is “Designed from Day 1 for Surrey”, highlighting how everything from SPS’s hiring, to engagement with the community, to the development of our policing services is being tailored to Surrey communities and their unique public safety needs.

The Report to the Community provides information on how SPS is creating a culture of wellness, working to keep the public and officers safer through enhanced de-escalation training, and demonstrating accountability through increased access to information.

SPS and the Surrey Police Board are working to provide unprecedented access to the information citizens want from their police service. This information includes publicly posted collective agreements, community consultation reports, service or policy complaint responses, staffing numbers, and financials.

The Surrey Police Board recently posted updated financials, which show SPS is nearly $7M underspent in its 2022 operational budget. The Board’s public reporting also includes a breakdown of where funds in the one-time policing transition budget ($63.7M) are being spent. All SPS financial updates are available on the Surrey Police Board website at www.surreypoliceboard.ca.

This is an exciting time for policing – not just in Surrey, but across Canada. All eyes are watching one of the largest policing transitions in Canada’s history, as Surrey builds its own municipal police service. Together with residents and community partners, we are creating a new culture of policing – one that is rooted in compassion, shared understanding, and innovation.