EVEN as the RCMP and pro-RCMP forces carry on their vicious campaign to sabotage the Surrey Police Service (SPS), whose police board held its first official meeting on Thursday, Surrey Mayor Doug McCallum, who is Chair of the police board, told the media that their first priority is to hire a police chief.
That process will start next week and will take a couple of months.
“We will also at the same time start recruiting some deputy chiefs for the police force and, once those are hired, then we will start to look for recruits for our police service,” he added.
“So we are starting right away. There is an urgency to move forward and we intend to … and we are going to do a very thorough process on hiring and making sure that we go through all the proper processes and qualifications and interviews that we have to do. It will be done in a very detailed fashion. We have hired a recruiting consultancy firm to do the process and we are going to do it very professionally and we are going to take time to ensure that we get the right persons for the job here in Surrey,” McCallum asserted.
Earlier this week, the Surrey Police Board announced that its first official meeting on Thursday would mark a key milestone in the City of Surrey’s transition to a municipal police service.
The Surrey Police Board was appointed by the provincial government on June 29 as the primary governance authority of the Surrey Police Service (SPS), the new municipal service tasked with policing British Columbia’s fastest growing and second largest city.
“Surrey’s citizens, business owners and visitors deserve the robust, local civilian oversight of the new Surrey Police Service,” said McCallum. “The SPS will be built as an innovative, modern and proactive service tailored to the needs and concerns of Surrey residents. I am thrilled we are at this pivotal moment in our city’s history.”
Composed of nine members across a range of cultural and occupational backgrounds, the gender-balanced board is responsible for hiring a chief constable, approving all SPS policies, approving the SPS budget and assuming oversight of Service or Policy complaints related to SPS.
“The Surrey Police Board is a diverse and dynamic group of individuals who reflect the values and experiences of the residents, business owners and visitors of Surrey,” said Executive Director of the Surrey Police Board, Melissa Granum. “The Board is eager to begin building a best practice police service, from the ground up, that truly reflects Surrey’s diverse and dynamic character.”
Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the meeting was held via live stream for public viewing.
For more, visit surrey.ca/policeboard.
