Surrey city council cast an historic vote Monday night on the next course of action for Surrey含羞草研究社檚 embattled policing transition. On a 5-4 vote, council decided to maintain the Surrey RCMP as this city含羞草研究社檚 police of jurisdiction instead of forging ahead with the Surrey Police Service.
City staff will now prepare a plan for Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General Mike Farnworth含羞草研究社檚 approval to that end, as well as issue a letter on council含羞草研究社檚 behalf to the Surrey Police Board 含羞草研究社渢o pause all new hiring and expenditures pending further Council direction.含羞草研究社�
Mayor Brenda Locke and her Surrey Connect five-member majority campaigned on keeping the RCMP.
She and councillors Harry Bains, Rob Stutt, Pardeep Kooner and Gordon Hepner voted in favour, while Safe Surrey Coalition councillors Doug Elford and Mandeep Nagra voted against keeping the RCMP as did Surrey First councillors Mike Bose and Linda Annis.
Annis moved an amendment toward staging a referendum, but her amendment was defeated.
含羞草研究社淲e have no idea where we含羞草研究社檙e at with this transition, there含羞草研究社檚 been very little public consultation,含羞草研究社� Annis said. 含羞草研究社淲e have no idea what the cost would be if we were to revert back to the RCMP. This is the largest issue that probably any single city council will ever make.含羞草研究社�
含羞草研究社淚 think there含羞草研究社檚 absolutely nothing wrong with engaging with the public and asking for their opinion,含羞草研究社� Annis said. Surrey Connect claimed during the election campaign that sticking with the RCMP would save taxpayers $520M over the next four years.
Coun. Mike Bose said having a referendum, 含羞草研究社渁s expensive and as time-consuming as it would be,含羞草研究社� would 含羞草研究社渃reate that transparency and openness that we含羞草研究社檝e all run on.含羞草研究社�
Two options were before council. The second option, rendered moot after this vote, was to continue the transition to the Surrey Police Service.
Surrey First issued a press release before the meeting calling for a referendum, in which Annis said, 含羞草研究社淭he nine of us elected to council on October 15 should not be making this final decision.含羞草研究社�
Annis wrote a letter to Farnworth urging him to call on the City of Surrey to hold a public referendum on the policing question, arguing that 含羞草研究社渢his costly back-and-forth will remain a political football unless the voters of Surrey are finally allowed to decide this issue.含羞草研究社�
Nagra urged to 含羞草研究社済et the numbers out含羞草研究社� from the Surrey Police Board. 含羞草研究社淩ight now we don含羞草研究社檛 have any numbers,含羞草研究社� he said. 含羞草研究社淧lease make a wise decision, let含羞草研究社檚 get all the numbers before we vote on this.含羞草研究社�
含羞草研究社淚含羞草研究社檓 not saying, you know, that the SPS is better than RCMP or RCMP is better than SPS, all we含羞草研究社檙e saying is let含羞草研究社檚 look at the numbers one more time before we make any decisions.含羞草研究社�
Elford said going 含羞草研究社渂ack in time to untransition to the RCMP含羞草研究社� would once again render Surrey an 含羞草研究社渦nderpoliced city.含羞草研究社� The Newton resident said he含羞草研究社檚 been personally victimized under the RCMP含羞草研究社檚 watch, including having 19 bikes stolen, a 含羞草研究社渕eth-crazed bunch of youths smash windows out of my brand-new car and threaten my life in my driveway, only for them to come back and smash out the window of my rental car the next day.
含羞草研究社淒o I want to wake up in the middle of the night to chase a burglar out of my living room?含羞草研究社� Elford said. 含羞草研究社淚 do not want to go back to a police force that is undermanned and continues to be undermanned to this day.含羞草研究社�
In response, Coun. Rob Stutt said he fails to see how Elford 含羞草研究社渉as provided any proof that a change of the policing that we含羞草研究社檝e had for the last 70 years would improve by a new police force.含羞草研究社�
含羞草研究社淲e hear let含羞草研究社檚 look at the numbers one more time. I would like to look at the numbers one time. We haven含羞草研究社檛 seen the numbers yet,含羞草研究社� Stutt noted. 含羞草研究社淭hat含羞草研究社檚 the issue.含羞草研究社�
Coun. Gordon Hepner asked city staff if the SPS has revealed to staff its capital expenditure plan for the transition. Finance manager Kam Grewal replied that 含羞草研究社渙ver the course of time staff have worked with SPS, there have been communications, but in relation to recent times and an updated capital plan, that information hasn含羞草研究社檛 yet been solidified or finalized in terms of what does that plan look like rolling out to completion of transition.含羞草研究社�
Locke also weighed in.
含羞草研究社淔irst of all, Councillor Elford, with all due respect you consistently voted against additional staffing to add more boots on the ground and we did not see that in the previous four years,含羞草研究社� she said. She added Annis is getting ahead of herself in terms of a referendum because the motion before council Monday was to maintain the RCMP as the police of jurisdiction and send a plan to Farnworth.
含羞草研究社淭hey are that now,含羞草研究社� Locke said. 含羞草研究社淲e are only talking about asking staff to assist us in preparing a report, in fact, a report that should have been prepared at the very beginning of this almost four years ago.含羞草研究社�
Meantime, the Surrey Police Union last week said 275 of 293 Surrey Police Service officers signed a pledge saying they have no intention of joining the 含羞草研究社渢oxic含羞草研究社� RCMP if the process to reverse the SPS policing transition to keep the Surrey RCMP as the city含羞草研究社檚 police of jurisdiction goes ahead.
The Surrey Police Union pledge, released Nov. 10, says 94 per cent of its members have declared 含羞草研究社淣o Intention含羞草研究社� of joining the RCMP if the SPS ceases to exist.
Locke on election night Oct. 15 said in her victory speech that she and her team have a 含羞草研究社済reat plan含羞草研究社� to keep the Surrey RCMP as the city含羞草研究社檚 police of jurisdiction, adding, 含羞草研究社淲e will not leave any of the SPS officers behind, we will pick them up.含羞草研究社� She reiterated this in her inauguration speech on Nov. 7, at city hall.
SPU President Rick Stewart said the officers 含羞草研究社渧oluntarily signed this declaration because of a number of specific reasons related to the RCMP, and as such, Mayor Locke含羞草研究社檚 hiring plan shows no regard for the will of our members含羞草研究社� and 含羞草研究社渢he attraction of working for a Surrey-based municipal police force remains as one of the main factors behind our successful recruitment thus far.含羞草研究社�
Locke expressed dismay.
含羞草研究社淚 would tell you that quite frankly I含羞草研究社檓 disappointed with this tactic that the SPS union has taken and as I said in my statement, this plan will be people-centric.
含羞草研究社淭here are opportunities with the RCMP and so people will make their decisions moving forward so I think all that will take on whatever role it takes on later on,含羞草研究社� Locke told the Now-Leader. 含羞草研究社淚t含羞草研究社檚 a new day for Surrey and we含羞草研究社檙e going to do exactly what the voter had asked and so we含羞草研究社檝e moving forward on that. But you know, we含羞草研究社檝e got to get beyond the back-and-forth and that含羞草研究社檚 important. I know we all want to have a shared goal.含羞草研究社�
That goal, she said, is keeping residents safe.
Brian Sauv茅, president of the National Police Federation, said policing 含羞草研究社渟hould not be politicized.
含羞草研究社淭he police transition in Surrey has been a polarizing issue. However, the members of the Surrey RCMP have shown dedication and commitment throughout, and have been working seamlessly with their SPS colleagues which is a testament to their professionalism.含羞草研究社�
On the matter of council instructing City of Surrey staff to in turn instruct the Surrey Police Board to cease hiring and spending, the board含羞草研究社檚 executive director Melissa Granum notes that under the Police Act the provincial government has authority over the board and no city council can direct the police 含羞草研究社渨ith respect to their budget and their hiring.含羞草研究社�
Granum says the board has 含羞草研究社渆very intention含羞草研究社� of 含羞草研究社渓ooking to the province for guidance on next steps and advice含羞草研究社� and 含羞草研究社渋t含羞草研究社檚 also important to understand that the hiring that含羞草研究社檚 occurring right now is completed and that takes us into January of next year. So we have new police recruits for the police academy and we have police officers hired to deploy in January.含羞草研究社�
Those hires, she said, have been completed.
含羞草研究社淪o any stoppage to hiring would have a ripple effect into the spring,含羞草研究社� Granum said. 含羞草研究社淚t含羞草研究社檚 really, really important to understand is that the province has given us direction to continue deploying police officers and to continue hiring. That含羞草研究社檚 the direction from the province itself.含羞草研究社�
This, Granum explains, overrides what council decided Monday night 含羞草研究社渨ith our approved budget, yes.含羞草研究社�
含羞草研究社淭he bottom line is hiring these police officers that we含羞草研究社檝e already given employment offers to and who含羞草研究社檝e already given notice to their previous employers, is Surrey needs those police resources at the front line, they need those police resources to be taking calls for service in Surrey.含羞草研究社�
So it含羞草研究社檚 the province that has the say, not city council at this point, within the 2022 budget. 含羞草研究社淭hat含羞草研究社檚 something really important as well is council ultimately approves our annual budgets so we含羞草研究社檒l be submitting a budget for next year, and we含羞草研究社檒l have to determine next steps once council makes a decision on the budget for next year.含羞草研究社�
That said, Granum notes 含羞草研究社渋t would be ideal含羞草研究社� for Farnworth to make his decision 含羞草研究社渋n a timely manner含羞草研究社� because council needs to plan its budget and 含羞草研究社渋t needs to understand which direction it含羞草研究社檚 going.含羞草研究社�
含羞草研究社淎t the end of the day, the most important thing obviously for everybody involved is public safety and ensuring that we have enough police officers working in the city. There含羞草研究社檚 a common goal there.含羞草研究社�
tom.zytaruk@surreynowleader.com
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