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Still 㽶Ƶֱno clear plan㽶Ƶֱ to continue transition to Surrey Police Service, report states

Meantime, Coun. Linda Annis says having two police departments is costing Surrey taxpayers $266K per day
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Surrey Police patch from Twitter Surrey RCMP by Anna Burns

Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke says the 㽶Ƶֱleadership ball㽶Ƶֱ is now in the provincial government㽶Ƶֱs court concerning the city㽶Ƶֱs 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㽶Ƶֱs worth of questions about its current state on Monday night.

㽶ƵֱWe㽶Ƶֱve heard today that there is much to be done to get the framework and all the legal agreements in place,㽶Ƶֱ Locke said, summing up the hour. 㽶ƵֱThe city has no authority to do any of that. We cannot just make up the authority, we don㽶Ƶֱt have that right. The province needs to make sure that there is a plan, that there is a path forward.㽶Ƶֱ

㽶ƵֱThis 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,㽶Ƶֱ she said. 㽶ƵֱMuch of the issue that we are dealing with are provincial and federal issues and that has become a lot of the stall.㽶Ƶֱ

Locke stressed that if the NDP provincial government wants the transition to happen, 㽶Ƶֱit needs to step up, show leadership and do their job.㽶Ƶֱ She said she㽶Ƶֱs 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, 㽶Ƶֱand seen nothing.㽶Ƶֱ

㽶ƵֱI have also never heard of why we had our plan rejected (to stick with the RCMP),㽶Ƶֱ Locke added.

A corporate report before Surrey council Monday night (Sept. 11) revealed there is still 㽶Ƶֱno clear plan, or any supporting documents in place, to continue a transition㽶Ƶֱ to the SPS from the Surrey RCMP as this city㽶Ƶֱs police of jurisdiction.

㽶ƵֱAs a result, there remains a great deal of uncertainty regarding how a transition to SPS would be completed,㽶Ƶֱ the report reads.

The corporate report before council concludes that although Farnworth has directed the City of Surrey to forge ahead with the SPS, 㽶Ƶֱoutstanding challenges remain㽶Ƶֱ and development of a 㽶Ƶֱcomprehensive framework and planning documents is necessary for any transition to SPS.㽶Ƶֱ

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㽶Ƶֱs police of jurisdiction.

Farnworth then appointed Jessica McDonald as the province㽶Ƶֱs 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 㽶Ƶֱis unavailable for interviews㽶Ƶֱ and Donnelly emailed a statement attributable to the ministry that 㽶ƵֱThe work by the new Strategic Implementation Advisor to advance the transition is well underway,㽶Ƶֱ and that the ministry 㽶Ƶֱwill continue to keep stakeholders informed as the work progresses.㽶Ƶֱ

Monday㽶Ƶֱs corporate report 㽶Ƶֱ by Terry Waterhouse, general manager of community services, Kam Grewal, general manager of finance, and Joey Brar, acting general manager of corporate services 㽶Ƶֱ 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 㽶Ƶֱis likely not sufficient to cover anticipated costs.㽶Ƶֱ

Grewal told council Monday that none of that $150 million has yet been allocated to the City of Surrey. 㽶ƵֱIn fact I would take a step back and say the city has not received any funding from the province in relation to the transition,㽶Ƶֱ Grewal said. 㽶ƵֱI 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㽶Ƶֱs all hypothetical.㽶Ƶֱ

The corporate report notes 㽶Ƶֱoutstanding 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.㽶Ƶֱ

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

㽶ƵֱThere is also a need to confirm plans for asset transfer or sharing, occupancy of facilities, and file and exhibit transfer, among others,㽶Ƶֱ 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㽶Ƶֱs police of jurisdiction.

㽶ƵֱAt this point in time we do not have a plan that is being followed,㽶Ƶֱ Edwards replied. 㽶ƵֱA 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.㽶Ƶֱ

Edwards said 233 SPS officers were either deployed or set to be deployed to the Surrey RCMP but currently there are 㽶Ƶֱapproximately 179㽶Ƶֱ 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㽶Ƶֱt 㽶Ƶֱdetermined that specifically.㽶Ƶֱ

㽶ƵֱRight 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㽶Ƶֱs been in the budget for Surrey detachment, that would be the number I㽶Ƶֱd be looking at but there㽶Ƶֱs still some planning that needs to take place.㽶Ƶֱ

Stutt asked Lipinski, 㽶ƵֱI㽶Ƶֱm going to ask you, sir, does the SPS have a plan to move forward?㽶Ƶֱ

Lipinski replied that for the public㽶Ƶֱs benefit it㽶Ƶֱs important to give context. 㽶ƵֱTwo and a half years when I started this, there was a plan 㽶Ƶֱ there was an HR plan, there was an assignment agreement which is an agreement between ourselves and the RCMP, but let㽶Ƶֱs stick with the HR plan,㽶Ƶֱ he said, which had 35 SPS officers being deployed every second month. 㽶ƵֱAnd 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㽶Ƶֱs 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.㽶Ƶֱ

Stutt asked Lipinski 㽶ƵֱIs there a plan or not? It㽶Ƶֱs a yes or no question.㽶Ƶֱ Lipinski said 㽶ƵֱWe are in the beginnings of putting together a plan for 2024. I believe that we㽶Ƶֱll be moving forward rather quickly here.㽶Ƶֱ

He said that 11 more SPS officers were set to 㽶Ƶֱgo over to the front line㽶Ƶֱ 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, 㽶ƵֱWe 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.㽶Ƶֱ

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

㽶ƵֱI get it, the mayor wanted to keep the RCMP, but that ship has sailed,㽶Ƶֱ Annis stated in a press release Monday, charging that Mayor Brenda Locke and council 㽶Ƶֱneed to step up㽶Ƶֱ and instruct city staff and the SPS 㽶Ƶֱto get on with completing the transition as quickly as possible.㽶Ƶֱ

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).

㽶ƵֱThis group consists of four females and three males, ranging in age from 25 to 38 years of age,㽶Ƶֱ the press release states. 㽶ƵֱAll the recruits have a connection to Surrey 㽶Ƶֱ 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.㽶Ƶֱ



tom.zytaruk@surreynowleader.com

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About the Author: Tom Zytaruk

I write unvarnished opinion columns and unbiased news reports for the Surrey Now-Leader.
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