“Most importantly, they chose to come to Surrey to serve Surrey residents and are committed to that for their entire careers”
BY CHIEF CONSTABLE NORM LIPINSKI
Surrey Police Service
SURREY’S policing transition continues to be a significant topic of discussion among residents and media following the recent municipal election.
Surrey Police Service (SPS) and the Surrey Police Board look forward to having an opportunity to fully brief Surrey’s new Mayor and Council on the development of SPS to-date, and the major financial and human investments that have been made to provide Surrey with a local police service.
At this time, our direction from the provincial and federal governments is to continue to meet the deployment benchmarks set out in the joint SPS-RCMP Human Resources Strategy and Plan, which guides the current phase of Surrey’s policing transition. Surrey Police Service remains committed to fulfilling our obligations in this transition, and to building a local police service that is tailor-made for Surrey.
I, along with everyone at SPS, respect the democratic process; it is a fundamental part of our freedom here in Canada. We simply ask for the recognition that SPS is not just a yet-to-be-realized project that can be easily scrapped. SPS is an organization that the City of Surrey asked to be stood up four years ago, with approval by the Province of BC. It became a bona fide police agency in August 2020, and proceeded to hire 353 people over the past two years. It is a police agency that is actively – and proudly – providing service to Surrey residents right now.
SPS is not an “experiment” or an “idea” – it is a substantive, functioning police agency that has been approved by the provincial government through legislation. It is a police agency with 296 police officers and 57 civilian employees who made a choice to come work for a municipal police agency and be a part of a new era of policing. They are individuals who were not interested in working for just any police organization – they wanted to be a part of one that is built on a foundation of meaningful community engagement, civilian oversight, accountability, and employee wellness. Most importantly, they chose to come to Surrey to serve Surrey residents and are committed to that for their entire careers.
Our people are not just “police officers” or “police support staff”, they are Surrey Police Service officers and Surrey Police Service civilian employees, who are proud to serve this organization and this city. While the decision will ultimately rest with the Province of BC, it is my sincere hope that we continue to have the opportunity to serve Surrey with a modern, accountable police service.
