Surrey – Mayor Brenda Locke delivered a press conference on the policing situation in Surrey. This press conference followed a two-hour closed meeting held at City Hall yesterday.
The City of Surrey announced their final decision to retain the Surrey RCMP as the police of jurisdiction.
“The Surrey Board of Trade is pleased with the final decision to retain the Surrey RCMP as Surrey’s public safety infrastructure,” said Anita Huberman, President & CEO, Surrey Board of Trade. “Now we must work in a cooperative, professional and respectful way to focus on moving forward and paying proactive attention to other important economic and infrastructure priorities.”
Former embattled Mayor Doug McCallum was a hard liner for a City Police force to replace the RCMP. Many critics were concerned about the cost of the transition and whether or not is was really in the best interests of the community.
The next steps will be critical for Surrey.
“We will be monitoring the situation closely to ensure the transition back is efficient so that the business community can receive the best public safety service possible.”
Surrey council will work with the Surrey Police Board, the Province, the Surrey Police Service, and the RCMP to retain the Surrey RCMP as the police of jurisdiction. The requirements outlined by the government to retain the RCMP as police of jurisdiction will be met by the staff.
The cost of rolling the transition back will be provided at a later date.
Details:
1. Council held a vote yesterday with the outcome of retaining the RCMP as the police of jurisdiction
2. A non disclosure agreement was signed with province, allowing council to review the ministry report and requirements
3. Staff will create a report
4. Council examined both sides; the impacts of continuing with the transition were significant
5. Politicians and police leaders must commit to supporting police officers on the streets of this city
6. Minister Farnworth’s conditions will be met but require cooperation of the Province to do so
7. The Mayor spoke with the Premier and Minister Farnworth and confirmed they will cooperate
8. The RCMP will meet the obligations that the dissolution of Surrey Police Service places upon them
Mike Farnworth, Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General, has released the following statement about the City of Surrey’s report on the Surrey policing transition:
“As solicitor general, I am required to ensure effective and adequate policing in Surrey and across B.C. When people call the police, they need to be confident that help will arrive.
“I must be satisfied that the City of Surrey’s plan will ensure effective and adequate policing is maintained in Surrey and throughout the province. Once staff have been able to review the city’s report, I will be able to determine if the plan achieves this objective.
“The City of Surrey has offered their corporate report under a non-disclosure agreement. We will review all information provided by the city quickly to ensure that the people of Surrey remain safe.
“We continue to require a comprehensive plan from the city to meet the requirements I laid out as necessary. In the absence of such a plan, this could quickly destabilize an already precarious situation in Surrey and significantly decrease police presence in other areas of the province.
“I want to assure the people of Surrey, and all British Columbians, that I will fulfil my duty to keep our communities safe. People in Surrey want to be safe and they want this to be over.”
