Surrey Police Service not reaching goal of 45 recruits per year, deputy chief says

The Surrey Police Service says it hasn’t hired enough new recruits through the Justice Institute of British Columbia.

At a board meeting Friday, deputy chief Jennifer Hyland said the department has not met its target to hire 45 new officers per year due to not receiving the allotted seat request from the JIBC.

Hyland said the police force has opted to have anywhere from eight to 14 new hires in various classes, and while the agency can make a request for a certain number of seats, “ultimately, it is the JIBC, along with their administrative team that maps out the seats available for each organization,” she said.

In December 2023, Hyland said the SPS hired 10 new recruits to begin classes in January, despite the agency requesting 15 seats.

She added the organization will be asking the JIBC for extra seats this year to make up for the numbers.

Hyland said when the SPS makes a commitment to fill a seat at the JIBC, the SPS is responsible for about $23,000 in tuition costs, while the student pays just under $15 000. If the SPS fails to fill a seat and doesn’t give the JIBC time to fill it, the SPS is required to eat the cost of $23,000.

The challenge to hire new officers comes as the City of Surrey refused to pay owed wages to 10 new recruits with the Surrey Police Service. 

A spokesperson for the Surrey Police Union told CTV News it was “shocked and disappointed,” adding the union ended up writing cheques to cover what’s owed to the officers.

On Thursday, Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke accused the city's municipal police force of running a $26 million budget deficit last year – a claim the Surrey Police Union characterized as "misinformation." 

The city filed a petition last year in B.C. Supreme Court, challenging the province’s efforts to force Surrey to continue transitioning from the RCMP to the SPS.

At Friday’s meeting, Kyle Friesen, the SPS's general counsel, said the petition won’t stop the transition.

“It’s full speed ahead with the parties involved.”

Friesen added that earlier this month, a judge was assigned to oversee the hearing but a date has not yet been set.