SURREY City Manager Rob Costanzo in an email to staff has announced that former Surrey RCMP chief Brian Edwards will head the City of Surrey’s new Public Safety Department, starting August 25.

The email, confirmed by the City to The VOICE, reads: “Surrey has established a new Public Safety Department to be headed by inaugural General Manager Brian Edwards.

“The Public Safety Department was created to align and coordinate the many civic services that contribute to community safety, including Fire, Bylaws, Engineering, Parks, Planning, Emergency Preparedness, and the city’s partnership with the Surrey Police Service (SPS) and Surrey Police Board (SPB).

“Mr. Edwards’ goals are to align non-police civic functions that support public safety (e.g., emergency preparedness), help Council identify and refine the City’s public safety goals; and provide corporate oversight of the City’s role in the policing transition plan, ensuring City deliverables are met.

“Most recently, Mr. Edwards served as Lower Mainland District Commander for RCMP “E” Division, where he provided executive leadership to 13 detachments, 2,000 police officers and 1,000 civilian employees across 28 municipalities and 40 Indigenous communities. Prior to that, he served as Assistant Commissioner and Officer-in-Charge of Surrey RCMP, where he guided the most intricate policing transition in Canadian history while maintaining day-to-day policing for Surrey’s 680,000 residents.

“Mr. Edwards deep operational knowledge of policing in Surrey, coupled with proven expertise in change management and stakeholder engagement, uniquely positions him to steward the final phases of our policing transition while advancing a holistic public safety strategy for the city.

“The new public safety department enhances the City’s ability to work collaboratively with the SPS, the SPB and community stakeholders on matters where municipal services intersect with police services such as joint responses to public-realm issues and large-scale events.”