Deployment date approved for first officers from Surrey's new police force
The committee overseeing Surrey's transition away from the RCMP has approved a deployment date for the first 50 officers from the city's new municipal police force.
Those initial Surrey Police Service members will be assigned to roles within the Surrey RCMP detachment as part of a phased transition process approved by municipal, provincial and federal officials.
The officers will be "assuming operational policing duties" by Nov. 30 at the latest, the Surrey Police Service said in a news release.
"This is an exciting time for the Surrey Police Service as we prepare to deploy our first officers into policing operations this fall," Chief Const. Norm Lipinksi said in a statement.
"We look forward to working with the Surrey RCMP during this phased transition as we work together to ensure the continuing safety of Surrey residents."
The first group of Surrey Police Service officers being deployed will be followed by others throughout 2022 and 2023, authorities said.
The new municipal police force has been actively recruiting for months, despite calls from the union representing RCMP officers to pause the effort earlier this year as the gang conflict in B.C.'s Lower Mainland was escalating with a number of brazen public murders.
The decision to transition away from the RCMP has been controversial from the start, with many Surrey residents adamantly opposed to the idea.
Last year, a survey commissioned by the RCMP union found most residents were against spending money on the transition in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The BC Liberals also promised to hold a referendum on the transition as part of the party's failed 2020 provincial election campaign.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
Full parole granted to man convicted in notorious 'McDonald's murders' in Cape Breton
The Parole Board of Canada has granted full parole to one of three men convicted in the brutal murders of three McDonald's restaurant workers in Cape Breton more than 30 years ago.
Incident on Calgary's Reconciliation Bridge comes to safe resolution
Calgary police shut down a number of bridges into and out of the downtown core as officers dealt with a distraught individual. The incident lasted almost 20 hours.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
'We won't forget': How some Muslims view Poilievre's stance on Israel-Hamas war
A spokesman for a regional Muslim advocacy group says Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's stance on the Israel-Hamas war could complicate his party's relationship with Muslim Canadians.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.