Overwhelming citizen support for Surrey Police Department, says City of Surrey

Surrey Mayor Doug McCallum with a marked Surrey Police cruiser.
Photo by Jay Sharma of Mahi Photo Studio

THE City of Surrey announced on Monday that it has concluded its public engagement process for the planned transition to a Surrey Police Department. Over a five-week period, 23 public engagement events were held across Surrey’s six town centres.

The results of the Citizen Consultation Survey are being released today.

A total of 11,103 survey responses were received.

The following are some of the key findings from the survey:

– It’s time that Surrey had a police department that is locally led:

93% Strongly Agree/Agree
– I want police officers to build their career in Surrey, so they know the community well:

98% Strongly Agree/Agree
– I believe our police department should prioritize its efforts based on what is important to Surrey citizens:

98% Strongly Agree/Agree

“The results of the survey responses speak volumes about the overwhelming support the citizens of Surrey have for the creation of a Surrey Police Department,” said Surrey Mayor Doug McCallum. “It is clear to me that the people of Surrey are ready for the switch to a city police department and it is my desire to deliver on their wishes. I sincerely hope the Solicitor General can render his decision soon. We have a detailed plan in place, and we are ready and eager to start work on the formation of a Surrey Police Department.”

The full report on the public-engagement process is being compiled by staff. When finalized, the full report will be forwarded to Council and the public in mid-July.

 

 

1 COMMENT

  1. Surrey’s own Police
    Big cities like Surrey have to have its own Police as decisions can be made locally and quickly. In Canada, all the cities of the size of Surrey have their own police. After Surrey has its own Police, the number of police officers will likely be more than now, – as currently Surrey has only 155 Police officers per 100,000 people as compared to over 200 in Vancouver As for the cost, the initial set-up is a capital cost, so it will be shared between the city, provincial and federal governments. With RCMP, the city is paying probably too much as it is a “Contracted Service”. As you know you can do a job yourself at a much lower cost than when you hire a contractor. The RCMP cost may be higher even after 10% discount. It’s possible to find cost-savings when the police department is managed in-house, i.e. by the City of Surrey. Surrey Police will also offer employment opportunities for people in Surrey, and surrounding areas. If at all the operating cost of Surrey Police is slightly higher than now, it doesn’t matter as the city’s revenue is increasing at a very fast rate. Surrey’s 2017 revenue was $1024 Million, and 2018 was $1159 Million, an increase of $135 Million in one year.

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