“WE NEED MORE POLICE OFFICERS ON THE GROUND NOW”

SURREY Police Union on Tuesday launched a new website, DispatchNow.ca, that calls for swift action from Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke to follow provincial recommendations to transition to a local police service.
“We’re launching DispatchNow.ca because we need more police officers on the ground now. We need to dispatch the police,” said Ryan Buhrig, Surrey Police Union spokesperson.

“Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke is stalling on making a decision to fully transition to a local police force. Meanwhile, violent crimes are escalating in Surrey.”
In April, Public Safety Minister and Solicitor General Mike Farnworth made a recommendation to fully transition to a local police force to address the public safety issues in Surrey.
“The Minister rejected the City’s original plan. A vote to keep the RCMP would mean dangerously low staffing levels,” said Rick Stewart, President of the Surrey Police Union.

There are currently numerous Surrey Police Service members available and waiting to be dispatched, pending delays on the City of Surrey’s final decision on whether to transition to a local police force. In some cases, these are qualified officers with substantial years of experience from other police jurisdictions.
“We invite the community to show their support for a transition to the Surrey Police Service by adding their name through the website,” said Stewart. “Every day that we don’t have a commitment from the Mayor and Council to follow the Province’s recommendation to transition to a local police force, more crimes are committed and innocent people are hurt.”
For more information on the Surrey Police Union’s new website, visit DispatchNow.ca.