Decision on policing in Surrey expected soon

B.C.'s Public Safety Minister is promising a decision in the coming weeks concerning which force will police Surrey.

“I want this resolved as quickly as possible. I fully expect that we will have a resolution before property tax notices go out,” said Mike Farnworth, explaining that the Province had been waiting on more information out of Surrey.

“This is not just a box-ticking exercise. This is about ensuring a transition that keeps … the Surrey community safe with effective and adequate policing.”

On Tuesday, the NDP faced a grilling in the legislature over Surrey’s policing problems.

“This is a total mess and the people that are going to have to pay for this government’s incompetence and delays is Surrey,” said Liberal MLA Shirley Bond.

Surrey-White Rock MLA Trevor Halford said the province’s “inaction has resulted in continued uncertainty and now skyrocketing costs for the citizens of Surrey.”

But Farnworth said policing is a local government decision and responsibility.

The comments come after Surrey announced a proposed 17.5-per-cent property tax increase for homeowners this year, making it the largest ever in the city. Costs associated with policing are responsible for 9.5 per cent of that as Surrey tries to get rid of the Surrey Police Service and keep the RCMP.

The proposed increases have been heavily criticized.

“A 17.5-per-cent increase, my phone is ringing off the hook,” said Surrey Councillor Doug Elford, who is part of the Surrey Safe Coalition.

“When I heard about the proposal, I immediately thought, ‘This is not sustainable and irresponsible to come forward with a budget like this in these times when people are struggling.'”

He said council is debating a budget that is “based on the promise that we’re going to keep the RCMP," but pointed out that "the decision hasn’t even been made yet."

The Surrey Police Service argues the city’s numbers for policing costs don’t add up and is calling for an independent audit.

“Surrey RCMP is operating with one set of numbers, the city is operating with one set of numbers, and SPS is operating with one set of numbers, and we think the taxpayers are deserving of some clarity,” said SPS spokesperson Ian MacDonald.

Meanwhile, provincial politicians have been raising the alarm about Surrey’s contract with the SPS, which provides 18 months' severance for officers who’ve worked as little as a half year.

MacDonald said few officers would have only worked six months. Many would continue working during the transition and others would find new jobs.

MacDonald said he hopes a decision from the province comes soon.

“It’s difficult for everyone in policing in Surrey regardless of uniform to be kind of in a holding pattern,” MacDonald said. “If the RCMP are retained, then everybody who's joined SPS will end up being unemployed or will not be able to stay with their employer that they actively and in good faith signed up for."

“And that includes people who have uplifted their family and moved across the country," he added. "Probably about 10 to 12 per cent of our staff have done that.”