SURREY Police Service (SPS) has released its 2022 Report to the Community, entitled “A New Era of Policing for Surrey”. The report covers the significant work that was done throughout 2022 to build SPS, advance the policing transition, and create meaningful change in Surrey’s policing model. 

With a global demand for changes in policing, the SPS Report to the Community notes that SPS is at the forefront of these changes as Canada’s newest police service. SPS’s efforts to “go beyond the status quo” in the areas of meaningful change, community, equity and safety, accessibility, and wellness are highlighted in the report. 

“Surrey Police Service continued its exponential growth and development in 2022, building a municipal police service for Surrey,” says Chief Constable Norm Lipinski in the report. “We marked a number of key milestones, including the release of our first community-informed strategic plan, welcoming our first classes of Recruit Constables, and more than doubling our staff team.” 

The report provides an update on the progress made in Surrey’s policing transition, including the deployment of SPS officers into 11 different operational units. SPS also shares how it is listening to all voices in the community, changing police training and practices to meet public expectations, proactively providing accessible information to the public and media, and reimaging police workplace culture to be employee-centric and trauma responsive. 

“We are immensely proud of the progress the hard-working people of SPS have made in building what is now the second-largest municipal police service in British Columbia,” says the Surrey Police Board in their message inside the report. 

View or download the Surrey Police Service 2022 Report to the Community at www.surreypolice.ca/publications.

Chief Constable’s Message:

Surrey Police Service (SPS) continued its exponential growth and development in 2022, building a municipal police service for Surrey. We marked a number of key milestones in 2022, including the release of our first community-informed strategic plan, welcoming our first classes of Recruit Constables, and more than doubling our staff team.
The SPS uniform started to be a familiar sight around Surrey as we grew from having just 29 SPS officers deployed into policing operations, to over 200 today. Collectively, these deployed officers have responded to thousands of calls for service – saving lives, protecting the vulnerable, conducting investigations, and helping to make Surrey safer. The rest of the SPS team has been busy either in training or building the extensive infrastructure required for a new police agency.
One of our greatest accomplishments in 2022 was the more than 600 community engagements we had with Surrey residents, youth, local organizations, and diverse community groups. This is only the beginning of our commitment to consistent, meaningful engagement and consultation with residents and business owners.
We made significant progress on the policing transition with the implementation of the SPS-RCMP Human Resources Plan last spring. This plan guides the current phase of the transition which supports the gradual mobilization of SPS officers and demobilization of RCMP officers.
Unfortunately, 2022 ended with some uncertainty as the future of the policing transition was referred back to the Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General. The Minister has since recommended that the City of Surrey continue the transition to SPS, stating that moving forward with SPS is the “best way to achieve public safety in BC” and will ensure no reduction in police presence in Surrey and the province.
SPS is fully prepared and equipped to ensure safe, effective and exceptional policing for Surrey, and we hope to have the opportunity to provide that to the residents and businesses of Surrey.

Surrey Police Board’s Message:

As the entity that provides civilian oversight of municipal policing in Surrey, 2022 was a busy year for the Surrey Police Board. From negotiating a first, historical collective agreement with the Surrey Police Union, to approving the first Surrey Police Service (SPS) strategic plan, and welcoming our first class of recruits, the Board has continued its forward momentum in creating an independent municipal police service for Surrey.
There are many benefits that come with a local independent police service, rather than contracting a federal model. SPS is built on local accountability and responsiveness, meaning it can react swiftly to local problems, has more consistent and stable staffing levels, and has a sole focus on the growing needs of our vibrant communities. Surrey, which is soon to be the biggest city in BC, deserves a policing model that is designed specifically for its unique needs.
From the beginning, the Board has ensured that SPS offers competitive wages and comprehensive benefits to attract the best and brightest people to Surrey, for the duration of their careers. This leads to having well-trained, highly skilled, and healthy police officers and civilians ready to serve you.
Thank you for taking the time to read through the 2022 Surrey Police Service Report to the Community. As a police board, we were appointed to oversee SPS and represent the community, and it is a role we take very seriously. We are immensely proud of the progress the hard-working people of SPS have made in building what is now the second-largest municipal police service in British Columbia.