Here's how much officers in Surrey's new municipal police force will be paid

Surrey Police Service Chief Const. Norm Lipinski, left, and Surrey Police Union president Staff Sgt. Rick Stewart pose for a photo while signing the union's first contract. (Surrey Police Board)

The union representing officers of the new Surrey Police Service signed its first contract with the city's police board last week, and the terms of the agreement will see officers paid as much as or more than Vancouver police officers over the next three years.

Starting salaries for sworn members of the service, who are deployed alongside Surrey RCMP officers during the city's transition to a municipal force, begin at $78,196 for a "fifth-class constable."

According to a wage schedule published alongside the announcement of the new contract, fourth-class constables will make $83,782, third-class constables $89,367 and second-class constables $100,538. 

All of the constable salaries listed match those advertised by the Vancouver Police Department, and the Surrey Police Union agreement calls for raises in 2023 and 2024. Those raises will either be three per cent per year, "or matched to the settlement reached by Vancouver Police Union, whichever is highest." 

"Under the new agreement, SPS officers’ compensation and benefits are competitive within the Lower Mainland municipal police departments," the Surrey Police Board said in a news release announcing the agreement.

The full text of the contract was not released. The board says the agreement will be posted on its website "by mid-April."

“The Surrey Police Union membership are very pleased with this first collective agreement for SPS police officers,” said Staff Sgt. Rick Stewart, president of the Surrey Police Union, in the release.

“This agreement shows that the Surrey Police Board and SPS leadership are committed to supporting the overall well-being of our members who work in a job that involves long hours, stress and trauma.”

According to the police board, the new contract "focuses on employee wellness and competitive compensation."

To that end, benefits in the contract - in addition to medical, dental and life insurance coverage - include parental leave top-ups, "wellness support in the form of paid leave and enhanced psychological services," and a "commitment to develop an employee education fund."

“There is currently an unprecedented demand for experienced and skilled police officers across Canada," said Cheney Cloke, vice chair of the Surrey Police Board, in the release.

"As the employer for what will soon be one of the largest police agencies in British Columbia, it is important to the Surrey Police Board that SPS is positioned as a supportive and desirable place to work. This first collective agreement with the Surrey Police Union will help us attract and retain exceptional police officers to best serve the citizens of Surrey."