ON December 19, 2023, Surrey Police Service (SPS) and the Surrey Police Board (SPB) were notified by the City of Surrey that new SPS employees would not be added to the payroll and benefits system that maintains all current SPS staff.

The Surrey Police Union said on Thursday: “This sudden action by the City immediately impacted our newest 10 police recruit officers, who went through a competitive hiring process and left previous employment to join SPS and begin their training at the Justice Institute of BC this week. As a result, there is no mechanism for the SPS or SPB to pay these officers or provide them with benefits. The hiring of these officers is within SPS’s currently authorized staffing count.”

Union President Rick Stewart said: “We understand Mayor Locke disagrees with the policing transition, but taking her frustration out on new Surrey Police recruit officers is a step too far.”

He added: “The Surrey Police Union (SPU) and SPS took immediate steps to ensure that the City’s decision would not negatively impact our new members. SPU will be covering costs for pay and benefits in the interim on behalf of SPS. Their first cheques were delivered directly to the recruits by SPU today. We don’t believe that police officers or any first responders should have to worry about being paid or having benefits in place for themselves and their families.”

The union said in its statement: “This shocking decision made by the City of Surrey, just days before Christmas, is effectively an attempt to restrict the hiring of new SPS officers, despite the approval of the transition by the Province and the legislative requirement for Surrey to be policed by a municipal police service. Rest assured that any officers who join SPS will not be negatively impacted by these actions taken by the City of Surrey.”

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