Surrey Police Service deploys another 35 officers as policing transition advances steadily

Chief Constable Norm Lipinski addresses SPS officers. Photos: SPS

SPS now has 352 employees, with 298 sworn police officers and 54 civilians

 

ON Monday, September 26, Surrey Police Service (SPS) deployed another 35 police officers who will soon begin responding to calls from Surrey residents.

This brings the total number of SPS officers who have been deployed into policing operations to 155, as Surrey’s policing transition continues to advance.

This deployment continues the cadence established in the SPS-RCMP Human Resources Strategy and Plan that will see a total of 295 SPS officers deployed by May 2023.

On Monday, SPS also held a swearing-in ceremony where 26 civilian and sworn employees were officially welcomed, and badges were presented to experienced officers joining Surrey Police Service.

SPS now has 352 employees, with 298 sworn police officers and 54 civilians. Of our 298 officers, 155 have been deployed, 28 are recruits in training, 28 are in our experienced officer training, and the remainder are doing critical work that includes recruiting, IT, training, community consultation, and policy development.

The SPS pointed out that hiring, training, and deploying large numbers of new staff is a monumental task that has become an integral function at SPS. Standing up a police service of this size requires an effective and efficient human resources mechanism to compliment the operational priority that is demanded by public safety and calls for service in a large city.

“The efforts of our officers on the front lines and our civilian and police staff in building this progressive, community focused police service for the citizens of Surrey, is unprecedented,” said Chief Constable Norm Lipinski.

“We have the right people; we have ambitious but achievable objectives; and we are well on our way to becoming the police of jurisdiction for Surrey.”