THE Surrey Police Board said on Tuesday that it has been made aware that there is information circulating online stating that Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke has filed a complaint with the Office of the Police Complaint Commissioner (OPCC) in which she states that “twenty-four police vehicles allegedly withdrew their services to the residents of Surrey” to attend a meeting.

The Board said that once it receives notification and direction from the OPCC, it will take the appropriate steps as required. It added that it can confirm that a number of SPS officers did attend a meeting at the SPS Training Centre on April 23 to hear from both SPS Chief Constable Norm Lipinski and Public Satety Minister Mike Farnworth following the announcement of a police of jurisdiction date for SPS. However, the officers who were on shift were never ordered to attend nor withdrawn from service; this was an in-service meeting where on-duty officers had radios and were available for calls, the Board noted.

Over the course of this policing transition, there have been a number of times when officers with SPS and the RCMP have needed to meet with their leadership team or their union to be briefed on significant developments, the Board pointed out.

Mike Serr, Surrey Police Board Administrator, said: “In-service meetings are a common way for police leaders and unions to be able to brief their officers. However, public safety always comes first – we are acutely aware of the critical nature of Frontline police work and the need to have officers ready to respond to priority calls at a moment’s notice.”

He added: “It is highly unfortunate that Mayor Locke continues to misrepresent situations to try to discredit Surrey Police Service. To suggest that our officers would jeopardize the safety of Surrey residents to attend a meeting is not only disrespectful but hurtful to our officers who put their lives on the line for Surrey every day.”