Surrey/Vancouver – When in doubt, ask your neighbours for advice. This is the case for the City of Surrey as they move towards a municipal Police force.
In the Surrey city media release from Wednesday morning :
The City of Surrey is the only major metropolitan area of its size in Canada that does not have its own municipal police service. Just as Surrey has evolved and city infrastructure has grown with it, Mayor and Council are taking steps to advance how policing will be delivered in this city with the creation of a Surrey Police Department.
A timely and orderly transition has been initiated, with a request for technical assistance from the City of Vancouver and the Vancouver Police Department (VPD). Both cities will now work to develop a partnership agreement.
The argument is on how much this will cost Surrey taxpayers and is the transition really worth it. Abbotsford’s Mayor Henry Braun has warned Surrey Mayor Doug McCallum of the pitfalls and challenges Abbotsford had when they made the transition.
APD was initially established in 1955 as the Matsqui Police Department and was renamed the Abbotsford Police Department when Matsqui and the Abbotsford RCMP detachment amalgamated in 1995 – the same time as the two districts became what is now the City of Abbotsford.
“The Vancouver Police Department is internationally recognized as a best-practice, evidence-based police service and the City of Surrey would like to create a similar model that takes a leading-edge approach to preventing and solving crime and social issues that impact our communities,” said Mayor Doug McCallum. “What Vancouver and its police department bring to the table are experience and knowledge that will help us create, in short order, a police department that meets the needs of our city and ensures the safety and security of all Surrey residents.”
Paul Mochrie, Deputy City Manager for the City of Vancouver will work with Terry Waterhouse, the General Manager of Policing Transition for the City of Surrey, on the development of a draft partnership agreement.
