Surrey city council has directed city staff, as Mayor Brenda Locke put it, to make sa国际传媒渁 180sa国际传媒� degree turn on the policing transition to the Surrey Police Service from the Surrey RCMP.

Councillors Mandeep Nagra, Doug Elford and Linda Annis voted against endorsing a framework for maintaining the RCMP as Surreysa国际传媒檚 police of jurisdiction and have staff present a final plan to this end, to be voted on by council at its Dec. 12 council meeting. It was passed on a 6-3 vote, with Mayor Brenda Locke, Rob Stutt, Pardeep Kooner, Gordon Hepner, Harry Bains and Mike Bose voting in favour.

Nagra raised Surrey Connectsa国际传媒檚 election claim that retaining the Surrey RCMP instead of incoming Surrey Police Service would save residents $520 million over the next four years. sa国际传媒淲hen do we get to see that number that itsa国际传媒檚 going to cost $520 million?sa国际传媒� he asked.

Surreysa国际传媒檚 manager of finance Kam Grewal replied that staff are working sa国际传媒渧ery, very hardsa国际传媒� on a financial analysis that will be sa国际传媒渇orthcomingsa国际传媒� on Dec. 12. sa国际传媒淚n relation to the direction question by councillor Nagra, I cannot speak to that, I havensa国际传媒檛 seen those numbers but I can tell you itsa国际传媒檚 a priority of staff to include the financial analysis and implications all on Dec. 12.sa国际传媒�

Surreysa国际传媒檚 top Mountie Brian Edwards presented before city council Monday night a sa国际传媒渇ramework for maintaining the RCMP as Police of Jurisdiction in Surrey.sa国际传媒�

Edwards told council he has 573 operational members under his command, with others recovering from injuries. sa国际传媒淚 need 161 officers to right-size. I can do that by the end of 2023. The RCMP has been on-budget year after year after year.sa国际传媒�

sa国际传媒淢y path forward is remarkably simple,sa国际传媒� he said. sa国际传媒淚 need a staffing plan for 161 people.sa国际传媒�

He said the sa国际传媒渦ncertainty of policing is no longer tenable.sa国际传媒�

sa国际传媒淚f Isa国际传媒檓 given the green light, Isa国际传媒檒l immediately implement steps to staff up to 161.sa国际传媒�

Claims the Surrey RCMP is not locally accountable are sa国际传媒渦nfoundedsa国际传媒� and sa国际传媒渓aughable,sa国际传媒� he told council. He welcomed Surrey Police Service officers to join the Surrey RCMP.

sa国际传媒淲esa国际传媒檙e locally accountable, theresa国际传媒檚 no other way to say it.sa国际传媒�

Seeking to sa国际传媒渄ispel a myth,sa国际传媒� he said, current SPS officers who join the RCMP can spend their entire career working in Surrey, with the RCMP.

sa国际传媒淚 welcome them to the RCMP,sa国际传媒� he said. sa国际传媒淭heresa国际传媒檚 not a better entry point to the RCMP for a municipal officer than Surrey.sa国际传媒�

Edwards received lengthy applause from the audience in council chambers. Locke asked for order.

Elford asked him what he plans to do about SPS officers vowing en-masse to not join the RCMP, to which Edwards replied sa国际传媒淎re you referring to the pledge that was made that 94 per cent of SPS wonsa国际传媒檛 join the RCMP? Isa国际传媒檓 not going to respond to union business, but I left Calgary Police and I will say this, that employment law supports me: The decision of an employer is one that is made by an individual, not a group. And Isa国际传媒檒l leave my answer at that.sa国际传媒�

Edwards told council he wanted to clarify a few things. sa国际传媒淚 have respected process and authority through this entire transition whether that decision was to replace the RCMP or to maintain the RCMP. I have always been extremely measured in my comments,sa国际传媒� he said. sa国际传媒淭his has been difficult at times. Often, I was bursting to set the record straight or to advocate to maintain the RCMP. But my job is to lead policing for this city sa国际传媒� it is the job of others to decide who polices the city. Unfortunately, others have not been as constrained in public commentary. Spokespersons have criticized ongoing RCMP programs, said that other programs will be better. Programs that donsa国际传媒檛 exist.sa国际传媒�

Edwards said sa国际传媒渕ultiple inaccurate commentssa国际传媒� have been made. sa国际传媒淭he list goes on and on. The intent seems clear sa国际传媒� to create concern and fear.sa国际传媒�

sa国际传媒淭hese comments seek to establish that the RCMP cannot effectively police Surrey. Isa国际传媒檒l show you tonight we have, we do, and we will.sa国际传媒� He said he will sa国际传媒渘ever criticizesa国际传媒� municipal policing or municipal police officers in this country. sa国际传媒淣ever. I was one. They provide vital public safety to our communities. But I will not allow others to criticize the RCMP model or RCMP officers.sa国际传媒�

Edwards said his team spends a sa国际传媒渃onsiderablesa国际传媒� amount of time mitigating disruption to policing, sa国际传媒渁nd we have for four years, especially in the last two.sa国际传媒� There are sa国际传媒渟tructural deficienciessa国际传媒� in the path moving forward with the current transition to the SPS, he said.

sa国际传媒淢ake no bones about it.sa国际传媒�

Coun. Doug Elford said hesa国际传媒檚 sa国际传媒渄isappointedsa国际传媒� a representative of the SPS was not in attendance to provide sa国际传媒渂alance.sa国际传媒�

sa国际传媒淚 think this is a waste of time and money,sa国际传媒� Elford said, adding that Surrey transitioning to its own city police force is the sa国际传媒渙pportunity of a lifetime.sa国际传媒�

sa国际传媒淎ll of North America is watching,sa国际传媒� he said.

On Tuesday, the Surrey Police Union issued a press release accusing Edwards of withholding sa国际传媒渁larming public safety risks to residents.sa国际传媒�

sa国际传媒淎fter watching OIC Brian Edwardssa国际传媒� comments last night, I am very concerned by the deliberate omission of the actual policing scenarios taking place on the ground as a result of RCMP staffing shortages,sa国际传媒� union president Rick Stewart stated in the press release. sa国际传媒淲hen there is a regular occurrence of only 1-3 officers patrolling the entirety of South Surrey and Cloverdale at night, it is clear that the daily threats to public safety in Surrey are not being taken seriously by RCMP leadership.sa国际传媒�

The Now-Leader has reached out to Edwards for a response.

Council debated a corporate report asking the politicians to endorse a proposed framework containing Surreysa国际传媒檚 sa国际传媒減riorities, goals and objectives for policing in 2023sa国际传媒� and direct staff to present a sa国际传媒渇inal plansa国际传媒� for maintaining the Surrey RCMP as the citysa国际传媒檚 police force for councilsa国际传媒檚 endorsement at its Dec. 12 council meeting.

sa国际传媒淭his report provides a framework for the City to maintain the RCMP as the Police of Jurisdiction in Surrey,sa国际传媒� the corporate report states. sa国际传媒淭his framework will guide the development of the final plan to maintain the RCMP as the Police of Jurisdiction in Surrey which will be presented to Council for endorsement on December 12, 2022, should Council endorse the recommendations of this report.

Mondaysa国际传媒檚 corporate report sa国际传媒� by Surreysa国际传媒檚 manager of community services Terry Waterhouse, Kam Grewal, and manager of corporate services Rob Costanzo sa国际传媒� states that a sa国际传媒減roject teamsa国际传媒� will oversee development of the final plan which, if approved by council on Dec. 12, will be submitted to Public Safety Minister and Solicitor General Mike Farnworth for consideration by Dec. 15.

At councilsa国际传媒檚 last meeting on Nov. 14 Mayor Brenda Lockesa国际传媒檚 Surrey Connect majority on a 5-4 vote directed city staff to prepare a plan toward that end.

The project team is comprised of Edwards, Waterhouse, consultants Tonia Enger and Dr. Peter German sa国际传媒� who has held high positions including the RCMPsa国际传媒檚 national director general of financial crime and president of the International Centre for Criminal Law Reform sa国际传媒� with senior members of the RCMP and city staff providing sa国际传媒渟trategic and administrative support.sa国际传媒�

sa国际传媒淭he Plan, if endorsed, will provide a comprehensive update on the status of the transition to date and highlights the significant amount of work still required,sa国际传媒� the report coming before council on Monday states. It also notes the contractual requirement for the RCMP to continue to be the citysa国际传媒檚 police of jurisdiction is sa国际传媒渁lready in place.sa国际传媒�

Since council defeated her Nov. 14 motion for a referendum, Coun. Linda Annis said, the city must produce a report thatsa国际传媒檚 sa国际传媒渁s fair, transparent, unbiased and factual as possible.

sa国际传媒淲hile I have every confidence in Mr. German and Ms. Enger, a third member of the team, someone not associated with the RCMP, should also help put the report together in order to give Surrey residents and the province the confidence that Surrey has been both fair and accurate in what we find and whatsa国际传媒檚 being proposed going forward,sa国际传媒� Annis said. sa国际传媒淲e never got that sort of transparency with Doug McCallum, but now we can do things better and differently.sa国际传媒�

Annis asked council to include an sa国际传媒渋ndependent accountantsa国际传媒� on the team sa国际传媒渢o provide financial oversight.sa国际传媒� Bose said it would sa国际传媒渓end credencesa国际传媒� to the process to have an accountant not affiliated with either the RCMP or SPS.

Coun. Rob Stutt asked Annis if she thinks the process is biased. sa国际传媒淭hatsa国际传媒檚 not what Isa国际传媒檓 saying,sa国际传媒� she replied. The Surrey Connect majority defeated Annissa国际传媒檚 motion.

The corporate report notes that the number of Mounties assigned to the Surrey RCMP sa国际传媒渉as not been reduced and remainssa国际传媒� at 843, with 58 of those assigned to Lower Mainland District Integrated Teams and sa国际传媒渘ot locatedsa国际传媒� within the Surrey RCMP detachment.

sa国际传媒淎s such, the Surrey Detachment strength is considered 785 Members, although 51 of these positions are not currently funded,sa国际传媒� the corporate report states. It adds that sa国际传媒渁s of this date,sa国际传媒� 168 Surrey Police Service officers are sa国际传媒減roviding policing services to Surrey residentssa国际传媒� under the RCMPsa国际传媒檚 command.

While sa国际传媒渟ome preliminary discussionssa国际传媒� on legal agreements have been held, sa国际传媒渟ubstantive details have not been worked out, nor have agreements been drafted,sa国际传媒� the corporate report notes. sa国际传媒淪uch agreements may require approval of all parties, and likely Cabinet endorsement at both the Federal and Provincial levels. Based on the experience of prior negotiations, it is reasonable to assume the negotiations of these legal agreements will take 6 - 9 months.sa国际传媒�

Meantime, the budget and sa国际传媒減ractical implications of a holding pattern on deployment and demobilization while these legal agreements are prepared and signed off are significant and will require the City to continue to fund through most of 2023 a complement of non-deployed SPS police officers far in excess of the Citysa国际传媒檚 ability to pay,sa国际传媒� it continues.

The priorities, goals and objectives for policing in Surrey in 2023 include development of a staffing plan to provide employment, sa国际传媒渨here possible,sa国际传媒� to civilian and sworn SPS officers who are integrated into the Surrey RCMP sa国际传媒渢o allow for continued and enhanced career development opportunities,sa国际传媒� as well as develop and implement an Infrastructure Plan which will see the current information systems and equipment assets purchased on behalf of the SPS, repurposed by other entities within the City of Surrey.sa国际传媒�

The objective for 2023 is to maintain a minimum service level of 734 RCMP officers sa国际传媒渁s soon as possible to ensure adequate and effective policing in 2023 and beyondsa国际传媒� and to sa国际传媒渄evelop and implement a plan for SPS to provide Assigned Officers to supportsa国际传媒� operation of the Municipal Police Unitsa国际传媒� as the RCMP sa国际传媒渟taffs up to full funded strength consistent with an agreed staffing plan.sa国际传媒�

And then there are the financial considerations. The citysa国际传媒檚 policing operations budget for 2023 will include funding for the RCMP contract, city police support services and SPS. The financial plan it adopted for 2022 sa国际传媒� 2026 allocates a combined budget of $202.4 million for fiscal year 2023, for policing operations, with proposed budgets to be presented to council sa国际传媒渓ikely in early in 2023.sa国际传媒�

sa国际传媒淭o finalize the budget requirements for 2023,sa国际传媒� the corporate report notes, Surrey requires approval from Farnworth of its intention to stick with the RCMP.

sa国际传媒淭his will allow staff to determine a proposed start date for the implementation of the plan. Collaborative work with the RCMP and the SPS will then take place to determine the cadence of RCMP ramp up and SPS ramp down and confirm corresponding budget allocations required.sa国际传媒�

Surrey sa国际传媒渆nvisionssa国际传媒� a decision from Farnworth in January 2023 sa国际传媒渁nd a ramp up of RCMP and ramp down of SPS beginning in March 2023.sa国际传媒�

Meanwhile, the Surrey Police Boardsa国际传媒檚 next meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, Nov. 30. The agenda for that meeting on that day.

tom.zytaruk@surreynowleader.com
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