IN an open letter to Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke titled “Locke, What Are We Waiting For?” Surrey Police Union President Rick Stewart is urging her to sign the non-disclosure agreement in order to view the full evidence-based, unredacted report on the provincial government’s findings which led them to their preference of the Surrey Police Service over the RCMP.
The SPU says that innocent people are losing their lives while Locke prioritizes political games and asks: “Why won’t Mayor Locke show leadership and push 100 percent of participants to sign the NDA to review the report? Why doesn’t she want council members to be exposed to the facts? Why won’t she read the facts?”
Here is the SPU’s letter:
WHILE Surrey’s Mayor, Brenda Locke, blocks progress and flip-flops on how she approaches transparency, we at the Surrey Police Union, have been steady in our path forward to keep Surrey safe. That means acting on a full transition to the Surrey Police Service quickly. Surrey needs police officers who focus on local problems and who take action on crime quickly and effectively.
Unfortunately, innocent people are losing their lives while Mayor Locke prioritizes political games, delaying a decision on how to solve Surrey’s violent crime problem.
The people of Surrey deserve an answer quickly on whether we can proceed with the local Surrey Police Service instead of the Ottawa-based RCMP. We have to look at the current crime situation we are experiencing in Surrey as well as to the future. We cannot afford to allow violent crimes to escalate and our police to be handcuffed. The time to make a decision is now. We need to get boots on the ground fast.
It has been a month since B.C.’s Solicitor General, Mike Farnworth, made his recommendation to transition to the Surrey Police Service.
The provincial government has even gone so far as to reach out to the Mayor’s office offering city officials to view their full evidence-based, unredacted report on their findings which led them to their preference of the Surrey Police Service over the RCMP.
Unfortunately, only half of the officials that the Province has indicated as needing to view the unredacted report have actually signed a non-disclosure agreement giving them access to the report.
This is plain ignorance.
The unwillingness to sign the NDA and view the report is further delaying a council decision on the transition to a police service that can swiftly act to protect Surrey.
Mayor Brenda Locke has a duty to her constituents to review the reports offered to her office by the B.C. Government.
Why won’t Mayor Locke show leadership and push 100 percent of participants to sign the NDA to review the report? Why doesn’t she want council members to be exposed to the facts? Why won’t she read the facts?
Mayor Locke and Council, we ask that you do what’s right for your constituents and read the facts. The residents of Surrey deserve informed decisions.
