'Delighted': Former Surrey mayor claims victory after province's policing decision

Doug McCallum lost the battle for the Surrey mayor's office last fall, but on Wednesday, he seemed convinced he had won the war over policing in the city.

The province's decision to direct the city to continue with the transition to the Surrey Police Service was enthusiastically embraced by McCallum – who booked a banquet hall and scheduled a news conference before the announcement was made.

McCallum was elected in 2018 on a promise to replace the RCMP as the police of jurisdiction in the city, something that was well underway when he was ousted by Brenda Locke – who campaigned on a promise to stop the transition – in 2022. Still, he characterized Wednesday's decision by the province as proof of his ability to come through for the citizens of Surrey.

"For the past five years, the citizens of Surrey have been eagerly anticipating the establishment of the Surrey Police Service. Today's decision by the province reaffirms that this is the best choice for public safety in our city, and it marks a momentous occasion," McCallum said in a media release.

"We are delighted to see our vision become a reality, and we are grateful for the support we have received from the province throughout this process."

McCallum was joined by two current councillors from his Safe Surrey Coalition, which had a majority when he was mayor but saw most of its candidates defeated in the last election.

Coun. Jag Nagra acknowledged the issue of the transition has been divisive, but described the division as beginning with Locke's election in October. However, the debate during McCallum's tenure as mayor was also contentious and included lawsuits, banning RCMP supporters from council meetings and a confrontation in a parking lot that led to a criminal trial.

"It is now time to come together, heal wounds, and work collaboratively for the best public safety for all of Surrey's residents and neighborhoods," Nagra said in the statement.

Locke, for her part, did not schedule a news conference.

In a statement issued after Farnworth's news conference, she condemned the province's decision as "disappointing, misguided and based on inaccurate assumptions."

Locke said the government's requirements set Surrey up to fail, and accused the province of "undermining" a duly elected municipal government.

She said she will not be commenting further on the decision until she has met with provincial officials and her colleagues on council.

The chief of the municipal force said Wednesday that the tug of war over who will police the city has taken a toll on officers and staff with both the SPS and the RCMP, as well as residents. Norm Lipinski characterized the decision as "final" and said his hope is that it will bring the debate to a close.

"It is now time to move ahead," he wrote in a statement.

"Change is not easy, and we recognize that the long-standing debate on the future of policing in Surrey has caused some division in the community, but it is important to respect the decision of the provincial government on this matter." 

WHAT'S NEXT FOR THE SPS?

The chief of the municipal force said Wednesday that the tug of war over who will police the city has taken a toll on officers and staff with both the SPS and the RCMP, as well as residents. Norm Lipinski characterized the decision as "final" and said his hope is that it will bring the debate to a close.

 "It is now time to move ahead," he wrote in a statement.

"Change is not easy, and we recognize that the long-standing debate on the future of policing in Surrey has caused some division in the community, but it is important to respect the decision of the provincial government on this matter."

Lipinski said during a news conference that the decision marks the beginning of a “new era” of policing in the city and that with t he debate over, the transition itself can become the focus.

“This is a rare opportunity to redefine policing for Surrey,” he said.

But the transition won’t happen over night. In fact, it could take years to fully complete.

“First and foremost we need a budget. Next SPS needs to return to hiring and deploying resources. This is done with the corresponding demobilization of RCMP officers, and like before, this is accomplished with public safety being the priority,” Lipinski said.

The SPS is already providing frontline policing for nearly half of all calls in Surrey. Right now, there are 400 SPS staff including more than 330 officers. However, only a portion of those officers are currently on the street.

Meanwhile, the Surrey Police Union is grateful a decision has been made.

“It is a relief we can finally move forward,” said Ryan Buhrig, a spokesperson for the union.

“We recognize this has been a contentious and divisive political situation. Our members and Surrey RCMP members have both been caught in the middle of it,” he said.

He expects some Surrey Mounties will join the new police service.

“We’re hearing that a number of Surrey RCMP members are going to come over,” said Buhrig.

“I’ve heard from our members today that they are getting phone calls inquiring about the Surrey Police Service. Our members have worked alongside each other…and we do hope a number of them will join SPS,” he said.

Meanwhile, Lipinski said Wednesday he had not heard from Surrey’s mayor since the decision was announced, but intends to call her this week.