Deployment date approved for first officers from Surrey's new police force

Vancouver -

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.