Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke says the 含羞草研究社渓eadership ball含羞草研究社� is now in the provincial government含羞草研究社檚 court concerning the city含羞草研究社檚 policing transition after council peppered Chief Constable Norm Lipinski of the Surrey Police Service and Assistant Commissioner Brian Edwards of the Surrey RCMP with roughly an hour含羞草研究社檚 worth of questions about its current state on Monday night.

含羞草研究社淲e含羞草研究社檝e heard today that there is much to be done to get the framework and all the legal agreements in place,含羞草研究社� Locke said, summing up the hour. 含羞草研究社淭he city has no authority to do any of that. We cannot just make up the authority, we don含羞草研究社檛 have that right. The province needs to make sure that there is a plan, that there is a path forward.含羞草研究社�

含羞草研究社淭his council has done everything asked of us and within our authority to follow through on our obligation to determine the policing model for our city,含羞草研究社� she said. 含羞草研究社淢uch of the issue that we are dealing with are provincial and federal issues and that has become a lot of the stall.含羞草研究社�

Locke stressed that if the NDP provincial government wants the transition to happen, 含羞草研究社渋t needs to step up, show leadership and do their job.含羞草研究社� She said she含羞草研究社檚 repeatedly asked for the plan, has to date sent six letters to provincial government officials, among them Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth and Premier David Eby, 含羞草研究社渁nd seen nothing.含羞草研究社�

含羞草研究社淚 have also never heard of why we had our plan rejected (to stick with the RCMP),含羞草研究社� Locke added.

A corporate report before Surrey council Monday night (Sept. 11) revealed there is still 含羞草研究社渘o clear plan, or any supporting documents in place, to continue a transition含羞草研究社� to the SPS from the Surrey RCMP as this city含羞草研究社檚 police of jurisdiction.

含羞草研究社淎s a result, there remains a great deal of uncertainty regarding how a transition to SPS would be completed,含羞草研究社� the report reads.

The corporate report before council concludes that although Farnworth has directed the City of Surrey to forge ahead with the SPS, 含羞草研究社渙utstanding challenges remain含羞草研究社� and development of a 含羞草研究社渃omprehensive framework and planning documents is necessary for any transition to SPS.含羞草研究社�

On July 19 Farnworth ordered city council to carry on with the transition to the Surrey Police Service from the Surrey RCMP, despite council having voted 6-3 on Dec. 12 to maintain the RCMP as the city含羞草研究社檚 police of jurisdiction.

Farnworth then appointed Jessica McDonald as the province含羞草研究社檚 Strategic Implementation Advisor to oversee the transition. In August, Chris Donnelly, a public affairs officer for the Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General, told the Now-Leader that McDonald 含羞草研究社渋s unavailable for interviews含羞草研究社� and Donnelly emailed a statement attributable to the ministry that 含羞草研究社淭he work by the new Strategic Implementation Advisor to advance the transition is well underway,含羞草研究社� and that the ministry 含羞草研究社渨ill continue to keep stakeholders informed as the work progresses.含羞草研究社�

Monday含羞草研究社檚 corporate report 含羞草研究社� by Terry Waterhouse, general manager of community services, Kam Grewal, general manager of finance, and Joey Brar, acting general manager of corporate services 含羞草研究社� notes that the continued deployment of SPS officers into the Surrey RCMP will require another extension of an assignment agreement past Sept. 30 and the $150 million Farnworth promised from the provincial government to help with costs related to the transition 含羞草研究社渋s likely not sufficient to cover anticipated costs.含羞草研究社�

Grewal told council Monday that none of that $150 million has yet been allocated to the City of Surrey. 含羞草研究社淚n fact I would take a step back and say the city has not received any funding from the province in relation to the transition,含羞草研究社� Grewal said. 含羞草研究社淚 am aware of the public announcement, the public pledge of $150 million which I have on many occasions have said is not enough to cover the damages done to the city both historically and a go-forward basis. As of now, it含羞草研究社檚 all hypothetical.含羞草研究社�

The corporate report notes 含羞草研究社渙utstanding challenges include, but are not limited to, the lack of a joint HR Plan to guide deployments and demobilization, the Assignment Agreement needs to be extended beyond September 2023, and the lack of legal frameworks to support RCMP Members serving under a municipal police department command.含羞草研究社�

Moreover, new governance and project management structures must also be established.

含羞草研究社淭here is also a need to confirm plans for asset transfer or sharing, occupancy of facilities, and file and exhibit transfer, among others,含羞草研究社� the report reads.

Coun. Rob Stutt asked Edwards where the transition is at in following a plan, and given that progress, when the SPS will be in the position to become Surrey含羞草研究社檚 police of jurisdiction.

含羞草研究社淎t this point in time we do not have a plan that is being followed,含羞草研究社� Edwards replied. 含羞草研究社淎 plan is going to have to be developed between the parties, and the architecture to build that plan is going to need to be developed. So for me, it is impossible to provide you with a timeline.含羞草研究社�

Edwards said 233 SPS officers were either deployed or set to be deployed to the Surrey RCMP but currently there are 含羞草研究社渁pproximately 179含羞草研究社� and 38 Surrey Mounties have left the RCMP to join the SPS.

Lipinski said about 45 per cent of the frontline right now are SPS people. Asked how many officers he thinks he actually needs, Lipinski replied he hasn含羞草研究社檛 含羞草研究社渄etermined that specifically.含羞草研究社�

含羞草研究社淩ight now, our planning prior to the election (Oct. 15, 2022) was to look at 734, which is what is authorized to Surrey right now. So as we move forward 734 plus 25, I know that含羞草研究社檚 been in the budget for Surrey detachment, that would be the number I含羞草研究社檇 be looking at but there含羞草研究社檚 still some planning that needs to take place.含羞草研究社�

Stutt asked Lipinski, 含羞草研究社淚含羞草研究社檓 going to ask you, sir, does the SPS have a plan to move forward?含羞草研究社�

Lipinski replied that for the public含羞草研究社檚 benefit it含羞草研究社檚 important to give context. 含羞草研究社淭wo and a half years when I started this, there was a plan 含羞草研究社� there was an HR plan, there was an assignment agreement which is an agreement between ourselves and the RCMP, but let含羞草研究社檚 stick with the HR plan,含羞草研究社� he said, which had 35 SPS officers being deployed every second month. 含羞草研究社淎nd so when the election happened we put a pause on that, and it was agreed by three levels of government so we missed out on a number of cohorts. And then the HR plan expired May 31. And when we were looking ahead at that time we did look at all the things we would want to bring to Surrey and we have in fact started researching some of that. There含羞草研究社檚 no need to bring it forward to the public at this time because we are not police of jurisdiction. When we get there, we will bring that forward.含羞草研究社�

Stutt asked Lipinski 含羞草研究社淚s there a plan or not? It含羞草研究社檚 a yes or no question.含羞草研究社� Lipinski said 含羞草研究社淲e are in the beginnings of putting together a plan for 2024. I believe that we含羞草研究社檒l be moving forward rather quickly here.含羞草研究社�

He said that 11 more SPS officers were set to 含羞草研究社済o over to the front line含羞草研究社� on Tuesday morning.

Edwards said there is significant work to be done as there is no plan for transfer of assets (ie. patrol cars), a legal framework outside of an MOU, no plan for information management, information technology, no plan for the transfer of hundreds of thousands of files, and no plan for exhibits. Given the priority of moving officers to the frontline, he said, 含羞草研究社淲e are waiting and working with SPS for a plan to get us to Dec. 31. We cannot piecemeal this, we have to do a fulsome plan.含羞草研究社�

Meantime, Coun. Linda Annis noted that having two police departments is costing Surrey taxpayers $266,000 per day. She called the report 含羞草研究社渄isappointing because it reflects a serious lack of urgency and no political enthusiasm or leadership to get the transition done quickly.含羞草研究社�

含羞草研究社淚 get it, the mayor wanted to keep the RCMP, but that ship has sailed,含羞草研究社� Annis stated in a press release Monday, charging that Mayor Brenda Locke and council 含羞草研究社渘eed to step up含羞草研究社� and instruct city staff and the SPS 含羞草研究社渢o get on with completing the transition as quickly as possible.含羞草研究社�

Also on Monday, Sept. 11 a press release issued by the SPS bid welcome to its fifth class of recruits. On Sept. 8th, the SPS officially welcomed seven new recruit constables, who will now begin their municipal police officer training at the Justice Institute of British Columbia (JIBC).

含羞草研究社淭his group consists of four females and three males, ranging in age from 25 to 38 years of age,含羞草研究社� the press release states. 含羞草研究社淎ll the recruits have a connection to Surrey 含羞草研究社� either as residents or through past employment, as well as extensive volunteering experience. They also reflect the diversity of the community they will serve, with different cultural backgrounds and language skills.含羞草研究社�

tom.zytaruk@surreynowleader.com
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